


These Memories That Bind Us

by larry_hystereks



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, First Time, M/M, Season 3 AU, alpha pack, some scott/isaac, some teamwork because teen wolf needs some fucking teamwork
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-17
Updated: 2013-02-18
Packaged: 2017-11-29 15:48:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/688697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larry_hystereks/pseuds/larry_hystereks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Werewolves can share memories. Alpha's can bend them. When Stiles returns home after being held prisoner for nearly two weeks, the Hale Pack realizes that they need to take action on the oncoming threat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so a lot of the Alpha pack are my own characters even though some of them share the names Jeff gave them. A lot of this was written before casting so some of the characters don't look like their actors. Also Jackson doesn't leave and Erica is still in the picture.

Death is easy. Simple. Precise. When death occurs it means the soul is at rest, that the stress from the life before is finally over, that the pain is finally over. That everything before death is gone.

It must be easier, death. If there was a God out there, He’d make it that way. He’d make it so that in death everything you felt, your mind, your body, would just cease to exist. That the pain you felt before death would erase, that you could finally move on to something simpler.  
  
Stiles has never wished for death so much until now.

He guesses it takes being strug to a wall, bound at the hands, for nearly a week without much food or water to do that to a person. Oh and the torture, that helps too.

Actually, torture is a nice way to put it, torture would be easier. Anything would be easier than this. Death would be easier.

Having to see these scenes, these memories, replacing old ones with new ones, over and over and over again. It hurts. Not physically but emotionally. His head, his thoughts, his mind. He can’t take much more of it.

The physical pain only comes when the claws pierce his skin, trickling blood down from where they protruded him, his chest, neck, wherever these damn Alphas please.

Kali is the worst.

Everytime she comes to visit, and unfortunately for Stiles it is often, she always comes bearing a worse memory than the one before. Sometimes Stiles doesn’t think it possible, not after seeing Ethan and Aiden’s tragic story.

And that’s what this is really. A big load of tragic stories. Pain that wasn’t meant for Stiles, pain someone else had to go through, live through, managing to survive it. How he doesn’t know. Ethan and Aiden, the twisted twins as Stiles calls them, nearly lost as much as Derek had. All of these Alphas had. They’ve seen so much loss, so much bloodshed, and why Stiles has to endure it is beyond him.

Fact of the matter is, he just does.

The door creaks open and Stiles fights off the shudder that’s already working through his spine. Dammit. Not Kali. Not again.

“Stiles.” She purrs. It’s like she’s happy to see him, it’s like she doesn't even know what she’s about to make Stiles go through.

“Not again.” He breathes. He can't even tell himself that he's not begging anymore. He tries to stand up, maybe as a muster of some dignity, but he can’t he’s too weak. They haven’t fed him since yesterday. “I can’t.”

“But you can, love.” She argues lightly. Her tone is soft, trusting if she weren’t so wicked. She comes forward, close to the boy who kneels in front of her, hands bound above his head, crusted blood over his naked chest.

Her claws trace lightly over his stomach, moving up along each his ribs. Her eyes are dark as the room his trapped in, hollow, holding no light for him to try and escape.

“Please.” He tries. He got tired of talking his way out of it days ago, when he realizes his mouth only did him worse.

“Just a few more dear, it will be over soon enough, I can promise you that much.” She says.

Stiles feels enough hope while hearing her words to forget about the claws, the sight of her eyes turning a vicious red. He doesn’t even whimper when they press into his chest, hard and quick.

“Soon, darling. So soon.” Her voice trails out with her as Stiles falls deeper into the blackness of the memory surrounding him.

* * *

He’s outside, the cool breeze touching the bare skin of his face, the colored leaves swirling at his feet. He feels almost peacful for a minute. He wonders if this was heaven, if he had finally made it out of that terrible place.

He hears a gun click, a cut off scream, the sound of it firing.

His feet move him towards the sound until he faces the source. 

There are at least six people, werewolves by the looks of it, all on their knees, hands tied behind their backs. He briefly wonders why they would not escape, but he notices that the handcuffs aren't that at all but are vines of wolfsbane burning holes in their skin. He determines that the people with the guns are hunters.

He recognizes none of them, just the the only woman standing, held by her shirt collar, gun pressed roughly at her temple. Her eyes shine red, tears flowing out of them.

The woman’s name is Annabelle, the Alpha’s call her Elle for short. She whimpers, watching the hunter that had just shot her pack mate move onto the next one, gun on a young boys temple.

The boy can’t be older than 12, skinny, with electric blue eyes that remind him of Derek’s. A born wolf. A beta. And by his sandy brown hair, nearly identical to Elle’s, he concludes that this is her son.

Her son that is going to die. That this, hunters in the woods, is how Elle’s pack was eliminated.

Elle starts to beg, whines, pleads for her own life instead of theirs. The hunter who is holding her starts pulling at her hair, willing her to watch. The boy, her son, stares in wide eyed confusion at the hunter next to him. He doesn't cry, he doesn't scream. Stiles see's a moment of clarity in his eyes before the gun is pressed against the back of his skull. 

Stiles watches the boy die, a girl next, a woman, each one forever burning into his memory. Elle’s memory has become one of his own. It belongs to him as well.

Her pack dies, each member laid out on the cold ground, all with matching wolfsbane gunshots to the skull. The hunters slowly fade away, leaving Elle sobbing next to her pack mates. She crawls over to her son, touching his skull with her shaking hands, letting out a strangled howl in her loss.

They just left her there, the hunters. They know a lone Alpha can't survive without it’s pack; they expected her to kill herself. Stiles can tell the hunters didn’t guess that another pack, a stronger one, would come along to pick her up.

The leaves start to move around Stiles, colors blend together, pieces start to break, and he’s back to his cell, still tied up, still hungry, still alone.

He swallows, his throat thick and dry, praying for his torture to end soon.

* * *

It’s Ethan who comes to him next, small bottle of water and half a sandwich in hand.

“You know Stiles, you’re making me and my brother miss school. And Aiden’s getting grumpy because he hasn’t been able to see Lydia in oh,” He thinks. “About a week. He’s gone insane.”

Ethan struts over, screwing the cap off the bottle as he does so. Stiles perks up when the Alpha pours the water into his mouth.

Once Stiles swallows as much as he can get, he responds. “Well maybe if you let me go home, we could all go back to the way things were before.”

Ethan chuckles, taking a bite of Stiles’ sandwich before offering him a bite. Stiles does so, the flavor tasting like cardboard in his mouth. It must be him though, because Ethan doesn’t seem to mind.

“You know we can’t do that. Not yet.”

“Kali said just a little while longer.”

Ethan’s eyes turn red for a brief second. “Did she now?” He gives Stiles another piece of the sandwich to eat. Ethan huffs through his nose. “Well I wouldn’t know to tell you the truth. They don’t tell me much.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m new. Aiden and I, we’re the newest additions, it doesn’t help that we’re teenagers Stiles. As smart as I am, I can’t seem to convince them I can do more than feed the prisoner his food.”

Stiles frowns at him.

“Sorry, but you aren’t really a guest. A guest would get more food. And a bed, maybe.”

“One could hope.” Stiles sighs. He’s actually okay with Ethan, he’s intelligent, might be as smart as Lydia, but he’s still an Alpha. A seventeen year old Alpha with a sadistic twin brother.

Stiles straightens up a bit from his slumped position. “Are you gonna do it?”

Ethan sighs. He doesn’t like this, it’s not right. “Of course. Kali would have yours, mine and probably Aiden’s head on a platter if I didn’t.”

“Well get on with it then.”

Ethan’s claws come out and instead of making new wounds on Stiles’ body he chooses to push them in where Kali had before. Stiles thinks he heard a faint ‘sorry’ but the memory is already taking over him, so he can’t be too sure.

* * *

It’s dark outside, winter, snow covering the earth he stands on. Howls are coming at him from all directions; they’re screams of terror, agony.

He sees the shine of the fire, a glowing mix of red and purple that englufs what was recently a large home. Even in the memory he can smell the wolfsbane, enough to make his own human eyes water. Stiles has never even thought of something like this, of a fire being produced by the venom that burns wolves.

He sees Andrea and his heart nearly cracks in two. Andrea, the woman who brings him extra water, who wipes down his bleeding chest, who told him that his pack was looking for him. That his pack was close to finding him. The woman who has been his only source of hope.

That was three days ago, right before Kali had promised that he was almost done with whatever this was. He hasn’t seen Andrea since. But her words of promise are what had kept him going.

Andrea stands in horrid astonishment as what Stiles assumes to be her home crumbles around her. She must be thirty feet away and Stiles can see her flesh burning from the fumes alone that are coming from her scorching house.

A man comes bursting through the front doors of the house, his burning skin rapidly healing as he runs with a small girl in his arms. She rushes towards them, kissing the man's lips, and letting out a broken sob when she realizes that the girl is dead. She takes the girl, pressing her lips to her temple, before setting her down gently.

The man falls to the icy ground clutching his chest, and with panic filling her eyes, Andrea reaches towards him, ripping open his shirt to see the dark black veins coming from the wolfsbane bullet in his chest and spreading towards his heart.

“No.” She whispers. Stiles doesn’t understand. The house is burning, yet the man, her boyfriend, her husband, lay with a bullet wound. Was there a fight? Did he try to protect his pack first? They shot him and then torched his home around him? Was it like the Hale's? Were they deceived? Or did hunters simply decide to murder Andrea’s pack?

She pulls the man’s head into her lap, stroking his dark brown hair, crying. He pulls a necklace off from around him and pushes it into her hand.

“James, what...?” She trails. She stares at the ring thats secured around the band of the necklace, looking back to the man, or James, as it seems.

“Never got to have that wedding Dre. Should’ve though.” He muttered thickly. She strokes his cheek lightly.

She smiles through her tears, pressing her lips to his again, her icy blonde hair covering their faces. There’s shouts in the distance and her eyes shoot up to the source. Gunfire, somewhere close.

“Go.” James says.

“Dammit.” She whispers. She kisses him again. “I love you.”

“Always.” he says. The gunshots and shouts alike get louder as they approach. Andrea clutches the necklace, her instincts telling her to protect her pack mate. “Go.” He says again.

She blinks down at him, realizing if she leaves, that this is it, he’s dead, it's the last time that she'll ever see him.

“Andrea run!” He shouts in a cough. She lets out a strangled moan, bolting up and sprinting in the opposite direction of the gunfire. She stops for a minute looking at her falling shell of a home, before turning to run again.

Stiles watches her vanish, looks back at the house, no longer screaming with howls, just in fire. He doesn’t realize he’s crying until he wipes his nose with his sleeve, snow swirling around the house, the recognizable darkness overcoming him.

* * *

“Stiles. Wake up kid. Dammit Stiles come on.” The woman’s voice interrupts his sleep, or maybe a memory, hell he doesn’t even know anymore.

He opens his eyes and Andrea’s there with her naturally blue eyes and a gentle but firm hand on his cheek.

“What?” He slurs. It’s been at least three more days since they even bothered to come and look at him.

“Time to go kid.” She says. He hears a light rip and his hands come loose, falling down, feeling too heavy around him. He starts to doze off again but a strong hand grip his neck. “Stiles, please for the love of God, stay with me now? We need to go.”

“Go?” He asks. She lifts him effortlessly into her arms as if he weighs nothing, cradling him like a small child instead of the gangly broken teenager he is against her chest.

They’re moving, that much Stiles can tell. He can barely keep his eyes open though, and he wishes that they would slow down, but he can’t find his voice or his words.

Andrea stops and Stiles hears the creak of a rusty metal door. They go through it and they must be outside because the cold air is enough to make Stiles whimper.

They stop again and someone is touching his cheek, rough calloused hands that feel all too familiar with the equally recognizable voice. “He’s alive.”

It’s Derek, or Stiles thinks it is at least, because the sigh of relief that comes out of him doesn’t really sound like something Derek would do, but it is him. Stiles has to open his eyes to peek, just to make sure, and he even manages a smile when he sees he’s right.

“Better late than never sourwolf.” Stiles mumbles. He hears Andrea chuckle and feels himself being released from her grip, only to be brought into another, more stronger one. It’s weird how after what seems like such a long time Stiles can still remember what Derek smells like. What pack smells like.

“Thank you.” He hears Derek say.

“Don’t thank me yet. War is coming Hale. Keep your pack close.” It’s a silent whisper in the night, a deadly promise, but a promise nonetheless. Something is happening, something Stiles already had figured out.

The Alphas were here for a reason, why Stiles wasn’t sure, but they were here. And with members like Andrea, Ethan, good people, he wasn’t quite convinced they were all here willingly. Why them? Why now? What exactly did they want?

Stiles’ exhaustion couldn’t answer him all these questions. It couldn’t answer him anything.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 :D

He wakes up in warmth, the smell of safety and with a sense of security he hasn’t felt in what feels like ages. He hears another person’s breathing and turns over, looking at none other than a sleeping Derek Hale. 

He looks tense even in sleep, arms crossed tight against his chest, eyebrows drawn together, but Stiles smiles because it’s still Derek. It’s still someone he’s grown to trust. And if Stiles is remembering last night correctly than Derek is the one he needs to thank for his rescue. Him and Andrea. 

Call it sleep deprivation coming over him but he can’t contain himself much longer, he pokes Derek right in the nose. Derek's reaction is almost instant, a tight clawed hand shooting up and grabbing at Stiles’ wrist.

“Dude.” Stiles smirks.

Derek looks at Stiles, loosening his grip around the teens wrist. “How are you feeling?”

“Better if I could kindly have back my arm.” He says lightly. Derek rolls his eyes but lets go anyway. He looks at him pointedly so he’ll continue. Stiles groans. “Fine, I’m starving, thirsty, happy as hell to finally be laying down in a bed, and I miss my Dad. And the pack.” He says. “Where are they?

“Scott’s with Isaac and Peter. Your father is still trying to find you, I believe he’s at the police station.” Derek tells him, relaxing a bit in the bed. Stiles notices that they’re in the warehouse, but the comforter seems too feminine for Derek.

“Whose bed is this?” He asks. “And wait, you didn’t tell my Dad that I was alive? He still thinks I’m what, kidnapped by the mafia?”

“Mafia?” Derek asks. He shook his head. “No, he doesn’t think that Stiles. But I didn’t want to return you to him in the condition you were in.”

“Condition?”

“Yes. condition. You were dehydrated, starving, you were nearly _dead_.” Stiles frowns at Derek’s words.

“But how-”

“Dr. Deaton. You’ve been asleep for two days. You’re better now. You smell better now.” Derek comments.

“I smell good?” Stiles prods.

Derek nearly smiles. “Yes. Healthy. Alive.”

Stiles nods, humming along. “So why were you laying in bed with me?”

“Because this is my bed.”

“Dude, seriously? You’ve got flower sheets.” He chuckles. He picks up the comforter as if to show Derek how ridiculous it is.

“Erica picked them out.”

Stiles freezes at the mention of her name. He swallows, his eyes a bit wide. “Did you find them?”

Derek’s eyes darken. “Yes. They were at the place where they were keeping you. We couldn’t get to them though. Bargaining for you was enough, asking for two more wolves wouldn't have worked the slightest.”

“Bargaining?” Stiles says the word likes its a curse.

Derek sits up, his back resting against the wall. “Don’t think of it like that. I made an agreement with Kali.”

“You what?!” Stiles yelled. He bolted up on the mattress into a sitting position, wondering shortly why he was in someone else’s clothes. They looked like Scott’s.

Derek groaned. “I agreed to take you in trade for not pursuing in trying to get back Erica and Boyd.” Stiles opens his mouth to argue at how stupid Derek is, but he continues. “Don’t worry, I didn’t need to get them back just yet. But we will. When the time comes.”

“When the times comes.” Stiles repeats dumbfounded.

“Yes. I don’t know if you remember her, but Andrea? She’s on our side. She’s keeping an eye out for the betas. They’re fine.”

Stiles slumps down against the wall next to Derek letting out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding.

“How long was I...?” He trails.

“A little over a week and a half.” Derek answers.

“Dammit. Why did they even-? Why me?” Stiles asks him. He turns his head, meeting Derek’s eyes.

Derek stays silent.

“Derek? What is it? You know something, don’t you. What is it?” Stiles sits up more, turning his whole body to face his alpha. He looks like he’s having an internal conflict with himself.

“They expected you to join them.” He finally says.

“What?” Stiles explodes. “Their pack? They expected me-? But why _me_? I’m human. They’re alphas.”

“It’s more complicated than that.”

Stiles groans. “Then explain it to me.”

“Not now.” Derek says. He gets out of his bed, walking over to where his jacket is, sliding it into place. “Now, you need to see your father. That’s what’s important.”

Stiles sighs but he can’t think of an argument, because Derek has a point. He misses his father desperately, Scott and even Isaac too.

“Do you have my phone?” He asks. Derek walks over to his makeshift nightstand, which is really just a milkcrate with a piece of cardboard on it. He grabs Stiles’ phone and hands it to him. Derek must’ve deleted all his missed calls and voicemails because his inboxes are all empty. He’s actually thankful because he can bet there were a few frantic calls from his father. He doesn’t think he could have ever of listened to that.

He sends a quick text to Scott, telling him to come over to his place tonight and maybe bring Isaac. Stiles still isn’t sure about the other beta yet, but if Scott trusts him Stiles can at least try. He sends another text that says no Peter.

Derek brings Stiles to the police station, dropping him off. “If you need anything, call.” He says. He drives away before Stiles can respond.

Stiles didn’t know what to expect when he walked into the police station after nearly two weeks of being completely off the charts. He does though, nearly burst into tears when his father starts crying into the bone crushing hug he gives Stiles.

“Thank god.” His father keeps muttering over and over. Thank Andrea, Stiles thinks. And Derek.

They stay like that for a good five minutes, just soaking each other in. Stiles’ father looks wrecked, like he hasn’t gotten any sleep since Stiles went missing. He feels guilty automatically but he reminds himself that he’s here now, that things will be alright.

“What happened Stiles? I was looking all over for you.” His father finally says once they stop hugging. The sheriff still keeps a hand on him, as if Stiles will suddenly disappear again.

“Dad we need to have a talk.” He starts.

“Okay?” His father looks confused, probably still overwhelmed with his son’s return.

“Well you remember when you found me in the woods looking for Laura Hale’s body? And I lied and said I was alone when really I was with Scott?” He asks. His father nods his head, still uncertain of why his son is bringing this up now. “Well I guess it’s best if we start there.”

“What are you even talking about? Did you hit your head? Are you concussed.” His father asks.

Stiles rolls his eyes, but breaks into a nervous smile. “No, Dad, but I have a question.”

“Alright.”

“How much do you know about werewolves?”

* * *

His father didn’t believe him, of course, who would? But after Stiles thoroughly explained everything from Scott getting bitten, to the kanima, to the new Alphas, the Sheriff wasn’t exactly convinced, but he didn’t think it was all lies either. Stiles said he could prove it, and damn, the look his father’s face when Scott and Isaac wolfed out.

So yeah, Stiles was probably happy for once in his life. He no longer had to lie to his father. He could tell him everything now, they could talk again.

Well about most things at least.

There's still these burned out memories, these stories, swimming in his head. He's still afraid, desperately so. He's just waiting for the Alphas to return. They have to. He knows they will.

Why else would they make him see all those things? Kali had a plan, she probably still does. It scares the shit out of him that he doesn't know what she plans to do next. What she has planned for Erica and Boyd. For Derek. For his pack. She's unpredictable. Soft comforting whispers one day, deep shredding claw marks to his chest another.

Stiles is grateful for Scott though, even Isaac too. They don't ask questions but they stay the night. Years of friendship let Scott know that he needed his best friend. The wolves could smell the anxiety rolling off Stiles, the fear. They could tell he wasn't the same anymore.

He goes back to school the next day. Scott, Isaac, or even Jackson at his side all day. Stiles hadn't expected anything from the newly turned wolf, but the hug he got was still nice. It was short and to the point but Stiles still felt a bit safer knowing that Jackson was in fact a true member of this pack.

Everything was going fine until they saw Aiden.

He had almost forgotten the twins even went to the school. It's not like Stiles ever got to see them there; he was taken only four days after their arrival in town.

Stiles is glad Jackson is with him, because the warning growl is enough to make Aiden look the other way and keep his mouth shut. Even though Aiden is an Alpha, he knows a fight would mean exposure. And exposure would mean having to face Kali. Alpha, beta, human, doesn't matter. Kali isn't someone you want to cross.

"Is he still hitting on Lydia?" Stiles asks when Aiden is out of sight.

Jackson's eyes flash blue briefly. "More like assault if you ask me. He's a creep. He's worse than you were." He pauses. "At least you got over that." He adds.

Stiles swallows and nods. "Just keep an eye her. I think they know she's not exactly human."

Jackson stares at him for a minute before nodding. "Come on we're gonna be late to Pre-Calc." He tugs at Stiles' arm pulling him along with him.

* * *

They have a long overdue pack meeting after school at the train station, all of them there for once. Even Jackson and Lydia, who according to Derek joined up the minute Stiles went missing.

Before he was gone it was just Isaac, Scott and Peter. Jackson wanted nothing to do with a pack of wolves, he had said that he had already gone through enough. But then Stiles got himself kidnapped by a threat greater than anything they had to face. Something more dangerous than what Jackson once was. That's what made him agree to join the pack. Stiles helped save him. Jackson believed he at least needed to try and help.

And if course as soon as Jackson wanted to join up Lydia was coming in right behind him. She wasn’t losing him, not again. And she still felt like she owed Stiles; he had helped her save Jackson after all. And she hoped maybe one day they could become friends.

“I’m going to kill Aiden.” Is the first thing Jackson says when they’re all in the room. Scott rolls his eyes but keeps his mouth shut and Lydia lets out a sigh.

“Don’t even think about it, you wouldn’t last ten seconds.” Derek tells him. Jackson groans sitting down on the worn out arm of the couch, Lydia’s hand tangled in his. She doesn’t like the Alpha werewolves longing glances anymore than he does.

“You don’t see the looks he’s giving her Derek.” Jackson argues. "It's like he wants to devour her. In more ways then one." He knows it’s useless, but he wishes something, anything, could be done.

Scott and Isaac exchange a glance from where they stand, one Stiles catches. He wonders when exactly those two became so in sync with each other. They even seem to gravitate a bit. He noticed it last night when they stayed with him.

“There’s nothing we can do about the little creep now, he’s got a fascination with her, who wouldn’t?” Peter quips, shrugging his shoulders.

Jackson growls lowly, Lydia rubbing lightly at the hair at the base of his neck. She remains quiet though, still not trusting herself to look at Peter. They made silent amends, but that’s about as far as they got.

“And what about Kali?” Scott says.

“What about her?” Derek asks.

“How do we know she’ll honor what she said. How do we know that Stiles is safe from all this. If she wanted him that badly in her pack, why give him up?” He says. He looks at his best friend sadly, whom has his head hung down a bit low.

Derek shakes his head. “We made an agreement.”

“Which consisted of what exactly?” Stiles asks.

“I told you, we get you in exchange-”

“Exchange for them keeping Erica and Boyd, I know, I know.” He interrupts. “But what else? Why kidnap me, torture me, if they’d just give me up for something they already have?”

It’s silent for a full minute, Isaac and Scott still sharing looks, Peter looking like he’s itching to get out of here, Jackson and Lydia still lost in themselves. Derek though, seems to be trying to burn a hole through Stiles’ eyes.

“I don’t know.” He finally answers.

Isaac’s head snaps to Derek’s in silent confusion, maybe at the admittance of his Alpha not really knowing everything he makes it out to be.

“We were trying to get you all back. Erica and Boyd as well. She must’ve known somehow. She pursued _us_ Stiles. She made the deal with us. Not the other way around.” Derek tells him.

“She had the upper hand.” Stiles concludes. It’s very Kali, wanting to make sure that her way is the only way that anything is happening. From what Stiles has gathered in his two week kidnapping is that she always needs the upper hand. She’s very controlling, always knows what she’s doing.

Derek nods at him, quirking his head to the side when Isaac speaks up. “But what do they want with Erica and Boyd, they aren’t Alphas, what do they need them for?”

“And why are they here?” Scott adds.

“Who knows, to answer both of you, we don’t know.” Peter says. He steps out from his position where he was leaning against the train car. “We don’t know and we’re going to have to find out.”

“How?” Scott asks. It surprises Stiles how easily Scott can talk to Peter after everything they all went to. It surprises him that he’s even here. Not in the pack, no he gets that, Peter’s the only family Derek has left, of course he’d be in the pack. Stiles just doesn’t understand why he’s here, now. He still doesn’t trust him.

“Stiles.”

“Stiles?” Scott says at the same time the boy scoffs “Me?”

“You have Andrea’s trust, do you not? She’s the one that agreed to help you out, she’s the one that told us where they were keeping you.” Peter says to Stiles.

“She told you where I was?”

Derek nods. “About four days before we got you back, yes.”

Stiles sighs and thinks. Of course she did, she’s different from the others. She has a heart. “Okay, we might be able to trust Ethan too.”

“Aiden’s brother?” Jackson says in disbelief.

“They’re related but they’re nothing alike, trust me.” Stiles says. Peter doesn’t miss the glance he gets from the boy.

“Ethan and Andrea alright, who else?” Lydia asks, speaking for the first time. She wants to help; she won’t be sitting on the sidelines this time, not anymore.

Stiles looks at her, then thinks back. Ethan was different because he was young, he was smart, he knew what he was doing and why it was wrong. Andrea lost everyone and Stiles could tell she was with the pack out of necessity not because she wanted to be there. Who else though?

There was Damien, but he only ever saw him once. He reminded him of Boyd, obvious strength and quiet manner, the soft apologetic smile he offered him. But Stiles remembers that little glint in his eyes that he used to see in Peter’s. He’s out of the question.

He thinks of Elle and her brown long hair, and tiny frail frame. Her sad eyes, her screams from when she lost her child. He remembers the tiny glares she’d give Kali when her back was turned.

“Elle. We can trust her, possibly.” He says.

“The one with the scar on her cheek, the claw mark?” Peter asks. Stiles nods. He thinks of something Ethan said when he was still being held captive.

_“It’s not like we have an out, Stiles. We aren’t strong enough for that.”_

“So Andrea, Ethan, and Elle, that’s it? There’s at least ten of them.” Jackson says.

“Eight.” Stiles says. “Eight of them.” He finishes, crossing his arms across his chest, more so to hold himself together. He wants to see his dad. Speaking of....

“I told my father.” He says. Derek looks stunned for a nearly a second but it’s gone as soon as it comes. “He needed to know. The police needed to know. And now that he does know what’s going on maybe he can help us.”

“How?” Lydia asks. Stiles notices that she’s only addressed him the entire meeting. He doesn’t think that she’s comfortable talking to the other members in the pack. Of course she is with Jackson, but that’s it. Stiles feels something along the lines of friendship in his chest. It’s a nice feeling.

“Well it’d be nice if we could find out exactly who these people were. We’ve got names and faces, but no origins.” He tells her. She nods at him, and Jackson exchanges a small look between the two. It’s not jealousy though, more relief.

“Or why they joined the pack.” Isaac says.

“That I know.” Stiles says before he can think.

Everyone looks at him, waiting. “Long story.” He mumbles.

Derek clears his throat. “Alright, we’ll meet up tomorrow for training. Lydia, do you think you could figure out who these people are once Stiles informs his father of the plan?” He asks her. She looks at Jackson for a minute then at Derek.

“Of course, anything to help.” She says. Derek nods.

“Isaac, Scott, can you two handle Ethan?” He asks.

“We’ll be the best of friends.” Isaac answers with a small smirk forming on his lips.

He turns to his uncle. “Find Elle. Don’t scare her away or tip her off.”

“Your wish is my command.” Peter fake bows and he’s exiting the station, Jackson and Lydia showing themselves out as well.

“What about me?” Stiles asks.

“Go home, talk to your father, talk to Lydia, then get back to me so we can have that discussion from earlier.” He says.

Stiles looks at him for a minute because he can’t believe Derek Hale, Derek Freaking Hale, is actually agreeing to talk to him like this. The Derek from before would’ve fought hard to keep information from everyone, so bent on trying to do everything on his own. He cracks a tiny smile realizing that something has changed. That he doesn’t want to do it alone.

“Tomorrow then.” Stiles says. Scott signals to him that him and Isaac are going and for him to come along, so he follows them out.

Stiles is already long gone by the time there’s a faint agreement heard throughout the train car.

“Tomorrow.” Derek says to himself. He slumps down on his bed, covered by Erica’s stupid comforter, trying to get some, if any, sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warning: Description of a panic attack.

“Just because there are a pack of Alphas running around doesn’t mean you can just break the law like that kid.” His father tells him.

“Dad are you serious, I was breaking the law before without you knowing what’s the difference now?” Stiles says throwing his hand up, the other still holding onto his backpack on his shoulder.

His father sighs, shaking his head. “The difference is I know now.”

Stiles deflates a bit, walking back over to the kitchen table to where his father sits. “Dad, trust me on this, I wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t important. Please.”

His father looks up at him, at this new person in front of him. This man who stands in front of him is just that, no longer a boy, a teenager, but yes, a man. He smiles, taking a sip from his coffee.

“I know the Martin girl is smart, so make you make sure she knows what she’s looking for and make sure she does it fast. She’ll have an hour, it’s the only time my side of the building is empty. Make sure she locks up afterwards.” He says. He digs out his keys from his pocket, sliding off the one for the station.

He hands it to Stiles, smiling again. “Now go before you’re late to school. You already missed two weeks.”

“I was kidnapped by werewolves.” Stiles scoffs.

“Yeah well those werewolves aren’t gonna stop you from getting into a decent college now are they?” His father smirks, not bothering to look up from his newspaper. He lets out a low chuckle when he hears a sarcastic groan and the front door slamming closed.

He let’s out a laugh again, sipping from his coffee. “He’s your kid Rose.” He mutters to the empty room. He smiles again, simply going back to reading the paper.

* * *

Stiles gives the key to Lydia as soon as he gets to her locker. “Here, don’t go too crazy.”

She takes it from it, brings out her own keys from her purse and strings it on a loop. “I’m just glad I can help. I’m glad to finally know what's going on.”

“Yeah when did that happen exactly?” Stiles asks. “Not that I’m complaining, you were out of the loop for too long.”

“Well the werewolf thing I figured out on my own when Jackson turned, but he told me the rest later that night.” She answered.

Stiles nodded. “Good that’s good.”

She closes her locker, readying her books in one hand. “Walk me to class?” She asks, all too bright smile in place.

“I’d love to, really, but I need to go talk to Allison.” He says. Lydia’s smile falters. She hasn’t talked to Allison herself in days. Knowing your best friend tried to help get your boyfriend killed was a hard thing to let go.

She nods though, laying a hand on Stiles’ shoulder. “I’m really glad you’re okay.” She gives it a light squeeze before walking off to her first class of the day. Stiles smiles to himself and that little feeling he gets back, like the one he got last night at Derek’s little hole in the wall. Pack. The feeling of pack.

He turns down the hallway walking to the library where he had asked Allison to meet him. She wasn’t pack, she probably never would, nor could be. She tried to kill Isaac, Jackson, Derek, she even put Scott in danger.

But he understood why. He knows what it’s like to lose a mother.

She’s sitting at a table by herself fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve when he gets there. She looks awful, distressed. He recognizes that look, he had it once.

“Allison?” He says lightly when he reaches the table. Her head snaps up, her body going tight, but she relaxes once she sees it’s him. “Are you okay?” He follows up with.

She lets out a bitter laugh. “You were kidnapped by Alpha wolves and you’re asking if I’m okay?” She snorts. “I’m fine.” She lies easily.

She looks up at him sadly before standing up and reaching out to pull him into a hug. She lets him go, sighing. “What did you want to talk about?” She asked.

“I just wanted to check up on you since, you know.” He trails.

“Since I nearly got everyone killed?" She says with bitter amusement. "Yeah I know.” She finishes.

Stiles looks at her sadly. “Listen, pack or not, we’re still friends okay? You don’t have to go through this alone.”

She stares at him, biting at her bottom lip. “I do though." She whispers. "I deserve to.” She says, voice cracking.

“No Allison-”

“Stiles stop, I do. I don’t deserve your kindness, okay? I tried to _kill_ Isaac Lahey. I wanted him dead.” She says her words barely above a whisper. “I tried to kill Boyd, Erica, Derek. They didn’t deserve it, it wasn’t their fault and I just-. Stiles you weren’t there at the beginning, you didn’t see what I was doing. What I had become.”

“Allison-”

“No, it’s not up for discussion. I stabbed Isaac, I shot Boyd and I felt nothing Stiles. Nothing. And that scares me more than anything.”

She wipes away the one tear that managed to escape almost angrily. She hates feeling weak, she hates her stupid vulnerability. Her mother would call her a coward.

“You were hurt.” He tries to reason.

“It’s no excuse.” She sighs.

“I’m not saying it is.” He touches her forearm, willing her to look up. “I know what it’s like to feel like the screw up alright. It sucks. And you can’t blame yourself for being blinded by hate, Allison you’re 17. People make mistakes, it happens.”

She frowns, swallowing thickly before nodding at him. “Thank you.”

The bell rings out and they both smile a bit when they jump. “You have my number, I’m always here.”

“Not recently.” She says. “What happened anyway?”

Stiles frowns.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to-” She starts wide eyed.

“No, no.” He interrupts waving his hand in dismissal. “It’s just, no one’s bothered to ask.” He chuckles lightly. “And let’s just say I wouldn’t wish why I went through on my worst enemies.”

“Not even Peter Hale?” She asks with a tiny smirk.

“Not even Peter Hale.”

She laughs softly grabbing her things. “We better go to class.”

“Yeah probably.” He agrees. He grabs his things as well, following her out of the library. He smiles at her again, turning to leave.

“Stiles.” She calls out. He turns to her. “I’m really glad I met you.”

His grin softens and he nods to her, watching her leave down the empty hallway. Maybe things were getting better.

“Stilinski.” A familiar voice called out.

Then again...

He turned to look at the Alpha in front of him, the wolf’s eyes a gruesome red color.

“Where’re your guard dogs?” Aiden asks him, smirking.

Stiles groans. “Dude I have to get to class, can we do this later?”

“Now’s good.” The larger boy growls, grabbing Stiles shirt with his clawed hands.

It’s times like these when he wishes the Argent’s were still running the High School and had their crazy wolf cams located at every corner. But Mrs. Argent is long deceased and Gerard presumed.

Aiden drags him into the nearest boys bathroom, slamming him against the door wall. 

“What is it with werewolves and wall throwing?” Stiles asks aloud to himself.

Aiden ignores him and lifts the teenagers shirt over his head and throwing it to the side.

“Uhm, I might be into dudes but no, what the hell are you doing?” Stiles squeaks.

The alpha rolls his eyes. “And they call me the dumb one.” He mutters. “Kali’s got me on strict orders.”

“Orders?” Stiles asks, sweat dripping down his head. He flails his arms for a bit until Aiden catches one and pins it roughly against the wall. 

“We agreed to let you go kid, not to stop the process.” Aiden smirks. He flashes Stiles his claws on his free hand as the other one still holds Stiles in place. Realization dawns in too slowly before three claws pierce his skin, Aiden’s hand covering Stiles’ mouth to muffle out the whine.

“Try not to bleed out.” He chuckles, his red eyes going back to their dark color. Stiles is only aware of the door closing before everything starts to fade.

* * *

The first thing he sees is Kali and he nearly collapses in fear, she’s walking towards him, evil little smirk, and wait. She’s not walking towards him, she can’t even _see_ him.

Stiles groans because of course even after he gets out of the Alpha’s little torture chamber he still has to endure these memories.

“Open it up.” The woman tells another one of her packmates. She looks young, Stiles’ age maybe younger, with short dark hair and a lean figure. She’s got a scowl that reminds him of Derek; she could give him a run for his money if it came down to it.

She opens the big metal door she’s standing next to, it probably weighs a ton but she has her supernatural strength to allow her to open it effortlessly .

“Come.” Kali says to the girl. Stiles can’t help it, he follows the both through the opened door. He has to squint at the overwhelming brightness of the room, but he gasps when his eyes adjust.

There are two people bound to thick metal chairs by cuffs at their wrists, their feet bound as well. The people, their his pack. Their who Derek left behind in exchange for him. He said they would be fine, that they had eyes on the inside.

Dammit he was wrong.

Erica’s neck is slumped in front of her, her blond hair greasy and matted with blood hanging over her face. Not enough so Stiles can’t see the slow-healing claw marks across her cheek. Her nails dig roughly into the chair she's in. She looks positively wrecked, dehydrated and starving. Much worse off than Stiles was.

Boyd is next to her, his eyes cold and hard as he stares at Kali. He doesn't look as beaten as Erica, but it shows in his face. If he had any scars they already healed. Stiles wants to scream, yell for someone, anyone. He knows it’s useless, this already happened. You can’t change the past.

“They aren’t cooperating, love. And do you know what we do to people who don’t cooperate?” Kali asked the girl from her pack.

“Kill them, torture them? What?” Her voice sounds empty but it rings in Stiles' ears. Stiles guesses she lost people too. She had to of. The wolves don’t choose this pack, the pack chooses them.

“Killing them is too easy, it’s not painful enough. If they aren’t going to work with us they should have to pay a price, shouldn’t they dear?” Kali smirks.

The girl shrugs her shoulders, looking hollowing at Erica and Boyd. Stiles wonders if the girl has had to deal with this before.

Kali walks over to the corner of the room where a dirty bucket sits. Above it a tap, to which she turns on to fill it. “Care to share anything this time?” She calls out to the betas.

“Go to hell.” Boyd responds. Erica doesn’t even lift her head up in acknowledgement but Stiles thinks he hears a low whimper.

The Alpha just chuckles, turning off the tap and picking up the bucket. The teen crosses her arms frowning in confusion as Kali brings the water over to where Erica sits.

Kali dumps the water on Erica, making her body snap up, her wet hair sticking to her face. “He’s looking for us you bitch.” She manages. “He’ll kill you.”

She smiles at Erica, leaning down close to her. Kali's clawed fingers rake softly against Erica's bloodied cheek. Erica tries to glare, Stiles would be impressed, but suddenly Kali yanks at the blondes hair hard enough to make him cringe.

“He’s not though." She promises. "You left him, remember? You _abandoned_ him. Why would he care for you? He never did. You must know that by now. Don’t you think he would’ve found you?” Her voice is too sweet for her words, too soft for the harshness they hold.

Stiles sees Boyd’s claws come out, his eyes golden. “Oh you calm down.” She shoots at him, finally letting go of Erica’s hair. Stiles can see the tears in the beta’s eyes, staining her blood covered cheek.

Kali walks over to the table picking up two things that Stiles thinks are jumper cables. His throat thickens when she brings them over to Erica and attaches them to her sleeves.

“Be a dear and hit the switch would you?” Kali says to her wolf. Remaining expressionless, she does so walking towards the box that the cables are connected to.

She flips the switch and almost instantaneously the electricity is travelled to the cables, shocking Erica nearly a thousand times more because of the water she’s drenched in.

Her screams are as piercing as the flashing lights that current throughout her body. Her head is thrown back and her back arches in her seat, claws tearing out as she wails over Boyd’s own pleas and growls.

Kali looks at the two betas as Stiles just stands in stunned horror, the smell of Erica’s burning flesh filling his nose. Kali holds up her hand, the teen automatically turning off the switch. Erica’s body still twitches, her wails, to whimpers and tears.

“Come Cora.” Kali motions to the girl. They go to exit the room. “You have a lot to learn.”

 

* * *

He’s on the bathroom floor clutching his bare chest, eyes wide, breaths coming out in stuttered pants.

Boyd. Erica. They were-. And Kali she-.

He can’t breathe.

He can’t see; it’s worse than being trapped in a memory. He’s vision is blurred, his hearing dulled. He’s losing his senses so fast he can barely feel himself sitting on the cool tiled floor.

It was his fault.

Derek didn’t get his betas because of him. Erica is being electrocuted because of him. She’s getting hurt and it’s all his fault. Boyd, fucking Boyd, he has to watch. That’s what his torture is. Watching Erica get shocked, or beaten while he sits there helpless.

And it’s all because of Stiles.

Derek would’ve saved them, he would have. But he chose Stiles. Why? _Why did he have to choose me._ Stiles thinks. _Erica and Boyd deserve to go home. I don’t deserve to be here. I deserve to still be trapped. I deserve it._

He’s suffocating. Air dammit, he can’t get ahold of it. His lungs are burning, he can’t see anything but Erica as she screams, the blue currents shocking her, Boyd’s strangled growls.

He feels something tug his shoulder, but he can only think of the betas. They’re still going through this. They’re still feeling pain and it’s all because of him.

“Stiles!” He hears.

His vision starts to clear, the pressure on his shoulders suddenly feeling a thousand times heavier, his ears coming back into check.

“Stiles breathe!” He hears. “Jesus Christ you’re fine okay. Whatever it is, it’s not your fault you hear me? It isn’t!”

“It is though.” Stiles mumbles, inhaling a deep breath. “Erica and Boyd. None of this should be happening.”

There’s a beat of silence. “I know, it shouldn’t.” He hears Isaac say. “But don’t blame yourself, please. We need you.”

Stiles finally gets his sight back, finally takes those breaths he’s been waiting to take. Isaac still has his hands wrapped firmly on Stiles’ shoulders, his big eyes worried.

“Thank you.” Stiles finally says. Isaac nods, letting go of only one of his shoulders so he can grab Stiles’ shirt and hand it to him. Stiles takes it tracing his hand down his chest to feel where the claw marks should be. He frowns when his torso isn’t even covered in the blood that should be there.

Stiles catches Isaac’s almost embarrassed eyes. “When you were having your attack I kind of grabbed you so hard that I took the pain away, and I guess I was focussing so hard that I actually healed you.” He admits.

Stiles eyes widen. “You can heal me?”

Isaac shrugs, removing his other hand from Stiles and folding them in his lap where he’s crouched in front of him.

“Huh.” Stiles sighs. Scott told him about the whole pain remover thing, but he never would’ve guessed they can actually heal. That might come in handy now that he thinks about it. Stiles fiddles with the shirt in his hand before slinging it on.

“Stiles?” Isaac says lowly. The boy looks at the beta, who’s eyes are looking at the ground. He sighs before looking back up. “That was a panic attack wasn’t it? Scott mentioned you got them sometimes.”

Stiles swallows and nods. “I haven’t gotten one in a long time, not since-” He stops himself, biting his inner lip.

“Me too.” Isaac admits. “It’s been awhile.”

Stiles doesn’t know what to say to that, because he knows Isaac’s lost his mother as well as his father and he's pretty sure Scott mentioned a brother as well. He’s an orphan.

“Isaac where are you living?” He asks slowly.

The beta’s shoulders tense. “Sometimes with Derek, but Peter creeps me out, so sometimes Scott’s, but I can’t stay there all the time.”

“Maybe you can talk to Derek? See if he can work on the Peter situation, cause I don’t trust him either. Dude comes back from the dead after he killed a bunch of people, tried to kill Lydia, and me, and Scott, and what? We’re just supposed to forget that?” Stiles says.

Isaac nods. “Do you think-” He pauses. “Can you talk to Derek? He listens to you more than he would me. He’s still upset that I almost left the pack.”

“Of course.” Stiles says. “And hey, what time is it anyway?”

Isaac thinks. “Third period. We have History.”

“You think Aiden could’ve at least used his wolf mofo to time travel me during my least favorite class. What an asshole.” Stiles grumbles. He stands up, his back stiff from sitting on the floor so long.

Isaac stands as well, making Stiles feel significantly shorter. “What did he do to you anyway?”

“Alphas can transfer memories to other wolves and humans, did you know that?” Stiles asks. Isaac nods so he continues. “When I was- When they had me, that’s what they did. The Alpha’s, they, gave me their memories. I don’t know why, they just showed me things, their pasts.”

“And you saw Erica and Boyd before, that’s why you...” he trails.

“Yeah, Kali, she was... hurting Erica. It was bad.” Stiles gets out.

“We should get to class.” Isaac says.

“Yeah, yeah we should.” Stiles shakes his head and follows the beta out of the bathroom.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 will be up very soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shit's geTTING REAAALL. no not really but idk get pumped lots of information.

Peter sits down on the bench just outside the local park in Beacon Hills. It feels odd to be out in public again, not hiding or planning murder. It’s nice, peaceful really. A change of pace. He truly does enjoy not being the Alpha anymore, he just wishes he could help Derek somehow.

He guesses this is the way to do it, just do as he asks for now. Find Elle, learn her, know her, see if they can trust her. He knows that if it comes down to a fight, the more Alpha wolves on their side the better.

He flips open the book that he has in his hand to the page he had marked off. It’s a classic Stephen King novel, one he’s read a million times before. His brother, Derek’s father, had given it to him for his tenth birthday. No one knew him better than his older brother, he doubts anyone would ever again.

Peter catches her scent as she exits the small coffee shop, sipping from her drink and straightening her coat. He looks up to meet her gaze from across the plaza. Her eyes are frowning at him, almost sympathetically.

“The boy?” She asks quietly from where she stands. Peter hears it clear as day, nodding to her and watching intently as she sighs in relief. He finds it odd, but then again, people do seem to become attached to the human. He’s seen it all throughout his nephew’s pack. He has quite the effect on people.

“Hale’s betas are alive. The blonde one’s been having seizures.” She says.

“She’s epileptic.” Peter responds.

The woman’s frown increases, a strong scent of worry following off her in waves. “I’m sorry for the trouble.” She whispers. She shakes her head, leaving the park quickly.

Peter doesn’t know what to make of her as she leaves, a long flow of wavy brown hair behind her. If the color was a bit darker she’d replicate Laura. The thought makes Peter’s stomach clench, but he tries to forget his mistakes.

_“Maybe the future will be brighter Pete.”_ Laura used to tell him in her visits when he was still comatose.

He can hope. Damn he can.

* * *

Lydia fishes her cellphone out of her pocket, pounding on the button to the stop the ringing so she can answer it.

“What?” She growls, pushing it between her ear and shoulder as she continues to type on the Sheriff’s computer. She’s nearly done with all the files. Four more to go.

“Jesus, calm your sweet little self down.” Peter says. Lydia freezes at the voice, but she can’t break down, not here, not now. She has a job to do.

“To what do I owe the honor Mr. Hale?” She grunts. She continues clicking until finally reaching Andrea’s file. She frowns when she see that it has cross references to the Hale fire written over it, but she hits print anyway. She’ll analyze it later when she has more time.

Peter chuckles. “Sweetie, I just wanted to ask, have you gotten to Elle’s file yet? Annabelle Wilken?”

“I have. Report says her home was abandoned, her son killed, shot, found buried in the backyard in Wisconsin. Why?”

Peter hums across the line as Lydia clicks on another one of the Alpha’s files. Two more to go.

“Wisconsin huh? Now when do we think she joined the pack, when did her son die?” He asks. Lydia cringes, she can’t help herself. She just can’t bare the man’s voice, too many painful flashes of memories. She clicks back to file she labeled Elle anyway, skimming through it.

“It says the boy was found a month after death, examiners determined the approximate time of death to be around October 7th of last year.” She tells him. She doesn’t know what any of this means, though it pains her that a child died, that someone had to lose their child. But Lydia remembers what Derek told Peter, or rather what Peter’s job was. Maybe this is his way of gathering information.

“So Elle’s been with the pack what almost a year now, a little less depending on when they picked her up?” He says more to himself.

“You’re wondering how much we can trust a her if she’s been living with them for a year?”

Peter chuckles. “You are the smart one aren’t you.”

“Someone has to be to.” It slips before she can stop herself, but Peter just laughs again. It feels weird to be having such a normal conversation, well normal on their standards, with someone who tried to kill her, some who's younger self she made out with and someone who she helped bring back to life.

“Thank you Lydia, really. Will you be joining us today in watching the betas fight it out?” He asks. She can practically hear his smirk.

“Peter, need I remind you that you’re also a beta? And yes, Jackson is picking me up as soon as I’m done, which would be-” She clicks ‘print’ on her last file. “now.”

She shuts off the computer, gathering up her papers and stealing a highlighter from the Sheriff’s desk. She opens it with her teeth, still balancing the phone, so she can make a quick note to Stiles’ father thanking him.

“Yes, but I know how to hold myself in a fight where as the others-”

“Don’t.” She finishes. “Got it, now if you’ll excuse me, as lovely as this call was, I need to read these files, all eight of what I have. I couldn’t find anything on Cora. Do you know how hard it is to find out information when you only have a first name and description?” She sighs. “And who knows there could be more of them.”

“Of course. Thank you for your time, really.” Peter hangs up and Lydia’s left clutching her phone in the empty office. She lets in a breath she needed, collecting herself. _You can do this._ She thinks. _You can help._  
  
She dials Jackson’s number, pulling the files together. He answers on the third ring.

“Are you okay?” He says immediately. She fights rolling her eyes.

“Just because I’m calling you doesn’t mean I’m dying, are you or are you not my boyfriend?” She asks snarkily. She tucks the files into her bag, tossing the highlighter on top.

“Sorry, it’s just, force of habit?” He reasons. “Anyway, what’s up?”

“I need a ride, I’m at the police department.”

“You got arrested?” Jackson asks in confusion.

Lydia groans, grabbing the keys and exiting the office. “You’re lucky you’ve got an insanely attractive face you know that?” She shuts the door, locking it. “The files Jackson, I was getting the files.”

“Shit, right, sorry. I’m on my way.” He mumbles, she hears him start the car.

“Thanks, I love you.” she says.

“You too.” The phone clicks shut and she sighs. She worries that he’ll still never be able to say it to her, I love you. Just once she’d care to hear it. She knows he feels it, it’s obvious, she is the one with the brains after all. She just wants to hear it. She’s a girl who loves romance, what can she say?

She leaves through the backdoor of the station from which she came, walking around to the front of the building, combing through her red hair with her fingers to get it out of her eyes.

She pleasantly surprised to see Jackson already there waiting for her when she gets to the front. She smiles, getting herself to the car and into the passenger seat.

“Hi.” She says once she’s in. She sets her bag at her feet, grabbing her seatbelt and reaching across to give Jackson a light kiss, which he returns.

“You get everything you need?” He asks, as he begins to drive away.

She nods and shrugs. “I hope, I mean, we only know of the nine, and I only have information on eight, but there could be more that we don’t know of. We’re only going on who Derek and Stiles have seen.”

Jackson looks at her then back at the road. “I really hope there isn’t more, I don’t think we can deal with more. Especially if we can’t trust those people.”

“I know, but we’ll find out everything that we can for now, and if more do turn up, we can handle it.” She says. “We always find a way.”

Jackson frowns, reaching across to grab Lydia’s hand in his as he turns into the woods towards the Hale house.

“Lydia, our luck’s gonna run out sometime. It has to.”

“Maybe it’ll only get stronger?” She suggests.

Jackson chuckles squeezing her hand. “When the hell did you get so optimistic?”

She shrugs, stroking her thumb over Jackson’s fingers. “Who knows, maybe when I thought you died. For the second time. And then you were alive. For the second time. That has to mean something.”

“Yeah it means I died twice and got resurrected into a werewolf.” He snorts.

She rolls her eyes as Jackson pulls up to the Hale house. Scott and Isaac are already sparring while Stiles and Derek are sitting on the porch talking.

“Can they hear us from here?” Lydia whispers, looking at Derek.

“It wouldn’t matter considered he’s pretty occupied if you know what I mean.” He says lowly back.

Lydia smiles. “Exactly what I was thinking, I wonder about those two.” She looks at Stiles and Derek again, watches the teen smile at their Alpha, even see’s what she considers a Derek Hale smile in her eyes.

“I’m surprised they haven’t done yet.” Jackson says catching her gaze.

She gapes at him smacking his arm. “Jackson!” She laughs. He smiles at her and she looks at Isaac and Scott, wolfed out, laughing as they wrestle each other to the ground.

“Now them, I’m surprised they haven’t adopted children yet.” She points out.

Jackson looks at the betas. “McCall and Lahey?” He asks. He peers at them through his car window. “Maybe, I don’t know about McCall though. He had his head so far up Allison’s ass it’s gonna take a long time for him to crawl out.”

“Isaac likes him though. I can tell.” Lydia says.

Jackson hums in agreement, turning off his car. Lydia takes that as her cue to get out of the car as Jackson does the same. They walk over to the shell of a house, bypassing the fighting betas and going straight to Derek.

“Jackson, Lydia.” He greets. Lydia’s eyes flash to where Derek’s thigh is resting to effortlessly against Stiles’. Derek’s looking at Jackson though, but she see’s Stiles blush lightly.

“Go, warm up with the others while I have a word with Lydia.” He tells him. Jackson nods, shrugging out of his coat and tossing it to the porch. Lydia looks at Derek, waiting until he turns to her. “The files?” He asks.

“Only eight, no luck with Cora, I just need to find out the important information, find out when they joined, where they’re from, if they’re connected to any of the other members by blood like Ethan and Aiden. And Stiles said he knew why they joined, when they did?” She recalls, looking at the other teen.

Stiles opens his mouth but Derek cuts him off. “Stiles and I will be discussing that later, just find out what you can for now.” He stands up, walking down the few steps to the grass and over the Lydia. He puts a warm hand on her shoulder.

“You are very important to this pack, Lydia, we truly are better off with you.” He says. He doesn’t smile, but he isn’t scowling either, so she takes that as a victory. She turns to watch him go join the betas and she takes Derek’s place next to Stiles.

She digs out the files, each one paper clipped together and she hands one to Stiles. “I only stole one highlighter from your dad.” She smirks. He scoffs, reaching back into his backpack to grab his own. Her hand finds his knee. “You’re okay right? What Aiden did today-” She sighs. “We’re here for you. Even Jackson.” She squeezes, offering a smile before letting go.

“You know, all those years I spent being in love with you I kinda regret.” He admits. She raises an eyebrow at him. “I should’ve just tried to be your friend.”

She smiles softly. “Well we get that chance now don’t we?”

He returns the smile. “Yeah, yeah we do.”

Stiles looks down at the file Lydia handed him, frowning when he reads that it’s Aiden’s. Well they have to know who they’re up against, and regardless of whether one’s a psycho twin or not, it still needs to get done.

They sit for about two hours, silently marking papers and making comments at the pack as Derek tries to train the betas. Sometimes they’ll share something interesting with each other like how Ethan and Aiden’s mother died before giving birth to the twins. Stiles guesses thats how they both ended up Alpha’s. Or how Andrea lived in Alaska up until her pack died.

Lydia lets out a sigh when she finally finishes marking the last file. “Who would've thought.” She mutters.

“If you’re referring to the fact that yes you are indeed labeling papers about Alpha werewolves to help benefit the werewolf pack you’re in, then yeah, who would’ve thought.” Stiles quips.

She shakes her head, picking up the four files she went over.

“So we have Annabelle, or Elle, who joined approximately a year ago, her family was found buried in the woods by her home. Damien, four months in, and is wanted in the state of Alabama. Alex, six months, no record of any family in the last ten years. And Andrea, three months, family killed in a house fire thought to be caused by her boyfriend James whose body was never found and is still wanted in Alaska for manslaughter and arson. Lovely.” Lydia tells them, all four of her files already committed to memory.

“It wasn’t him. Hunters.” Stiles says.

“Even better.” She sighs.

Stiles shakes his head in a sad agreement. He flips open the twins papers, going over what he read as well. “Alright, I have Ethan and Aiden, mother died in labor, no record of a father, were put into the system until a Mr. Robert Durham adopted them. I’m guessing he was a werewolf as well, he died when the twins were sixteen leaving them on their own. Ethan said they were the newest additions so we’re looking at only a month or so.”

He flips to the next one. “Zachary, legally married to Kali so I’m going with they formed the pack together though Kali obviously is the one in change. And Kali was the perfect student, even says here that she was getting a full time scholarship to Princeton University.”

“Crazy and smart, of course.” Lydia tosses in.

Stiles hums. “This was until during her senior year of high school she vanished from town after two murders. They couldn’t connect them directly but the assumption was there.”

“That’s when she was bit.” Lydia says.

“She was eighteen.” Stiles sighs shaking his head. “And we still have nothing on Cora.” He closes the files on his lap, seeing the wolves come over to the porch to join them, the betas still panting heavily from their fights. Other than Peter of course who just stands to the side, arm crossed as he leans against the front porch.

Isaac plops down on the ground, using his arms behind him as support. Stiles doesn’t bother to comment when Scott uses Isaac’s shoulder to lean on as he stands next to him.

“Find anything out?” Jackson asks, sitting next to Lydia, slinging his arm over her shoulder and peering at the papers.

Lydia nods, snatching the other files from Stiles and standing up making Jackson look up at her oddly. “My house is empty, come over, I’ll tell you everything you need to know.” She says. She grabs Jackson’s hand, he snatches his jacket from the porch and lets Lydia tug him down the steps and to his car.

Scott grabs Isaac off the ground leading him to his mother's car. He turns back to Stiles. “You coming?”

“I need to talk to Derek, you’re still coming over tonight right?” He asks.

Scott nods. “Of course, see ya later buddy.” He smiles before tugging at Isaac’s sleeve again to bring him with him.

Derek comes and sits by Stiles much like where he was before. He looks at his uncle pointedly, making Peter sigh out over dramatically.

“Oh fine, I get it, no one wants the creepy uncle around. I’ll just go find some children to scare.” He rolls his eyes shrinking back into the almost darkened woods. Stiles hadn’t even noticed how late it’s gotten; the sun is nearly just about down.

Stiles chuckles softly. “Is he really gone, or just watching from a distance?”

“He’s gone.” Derek replies.

Stiles nods his head. “Alright, well would you like me to start, or would you like to start?”

“I think you might explode if I don’t let you get it all out first so, please, be my guest.” He smirks slightly, folding his hands in his lap where he sits.

“Okay, well I guess I should start with me getting kidnapped?” He says. “Because we really wouldn’t even be here if that happened.” Stiles pausing thinking of that day, recalling the moment when the Alpha’s first took him....

* * *

“You stupid pieces of shit I swear to God.” Stiles yelled, fighting away from the grip of the larger teen, Aiden, as he cuffed his wrist. “And a van really? Who the hell do you think you are? This isn’t some mob movie Jesus.”

A woman cracked a smile from where she was crouched in the van, her eyes steely. “You weren’t kidding when he said he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.” She chuckles to Aiden. She throws him a rag. “Gag him.” She says.

“Hey! What? No-mrph.” Aiden’s already got the gag around his lips, tied tight in the bag. “Grd fpmhcking damphit.” He mumbles around the fabric.

“Use the side streets, Alex.” The woman calls to the driver. Stiles hears him hum back as she turns to the teen. “Now, seeing as you can’t talk, you’ll listen, hm?” She raises an eyebrow.

“Asshawle.” He muffles.

She laughs again. “Spunk, I like it, dear.” She smiles at him. “My name is Kali, and we’ll be holding you here until we see fit necessary. Now love, don’t worry your pack will be fine, you have my word that we won’t be bothering with them."

Stiles scoffs.

“Aiden, I think it’s time.” She says still staring at Stiles.

“Here?” He asks with hints of bewilderment.

She glares at him icily. “Yes, here.” She growls dangerously. Stiles watches the teen Alpha cringe, an odd look for such a built person, but it’s hard to focus on that when suddenly Aiden’s claws are coming out and coming dangerously close to Stiles’ neck.

“Hey!” He gets outs, trying to move away from the claws, it’s useless though and he feels them pierce his skin and pull out moments later.

Stiles arches his neck down to try and see the damage, but all he can see is some blood on the top of his shirt. He looks back up to Kali one last time before the memory hits him.

* * *

“That was the first one, I saw Alex’s past, the one who was driving the van.” He tells Derek quietly. It was dark out now, only the moon providing the light. Derek hadn’t spoken a word throughout Stiles story, bent on listening intently.

“It was different, from the ones that came later, I mean. They showed me how Alex became Alpha, his wife killed herself and it passed onto him. He never had a pack, and from what the files say he never made one.”

“He was a nomad, a lone wolf.” Derek says, speaking for the first time.

Stiles nods, “I figured that much. But I thought that it wasn't possible. That a lone wolf, a lone Alpha could survive on their own."

Derek frowns a bit. "It is, but it's extremely difficult. The will for the Alpha to make a pack is strong, but it can be supressed."

Stiles nods. "I couldn’t tell you why he joined Kali though, maybe she forced him to, I don’t know.” 

“You think she forced others?” Derek asks. Stiles looks at him, noticing how much younger he looks when he has that curious look on his face.

“Yes, I do. Alex is possible, Ethan could’ve been because of Aiden. As different as they are, they’re still brothers.”

“What about Elle?”

Stiles shakes his head. “No, I think she joined, I think she realized it was a mistake, but it was too late. Once you’re in, you’re in.”

Derek shook his head. “What happened after that?”

Stiles shrugs. “Nothing for two days, locked me up in some kind of medieval dungeon and barely fed me. Kali showed up on the third day.”

* * *

The door creaked open revealing Kali’s dark hair, her red eyes glowing. She stepped inside swiftly, her long legs walking over to where Stiles sat on the ground, still tied up. He hasn’t eaten since he’s been taken, and a blonde woman only brought him water yesterday. He doesn’t even think she was supposed to.

She leans down, giving the allusion that’s she’s literally towering over him. Her hand runs along his buzzed hair too lightly making him flinch back. She smiles.

“Sorry for the lack of hospitality, we’ve had other, problems.” She drawls.

“Wow, you have my undenying gratitude, really.” Stiles says, rolling his eyes.

Her smile hardens. “Listen child, you’re going to be here for... well a while.” Stiles feels like there’s some other meaning to her words. “And believe me, I am sorry.”

He snorts. “Oh you’re so sorry, I really bet you’re just rolling in apologizes.” He rolls his eyes a second time. “I can tell, you’re radiating love and warmth and-”

She cuts him off by backhanding him across the left cheek. His eyes sting with tears and he feels a sense of deja vu from when Gerard took him. He’s doesn’t think he can handle going through that again. Especially when no one was even looking for him that time, what are the odds that they notices he’s gone now?

“What do you want.” He whispers hoarsely.

“Time.” She answers. “And for you to shut that pretty mouth of yours before it gets you into more trouble than you’re worth.”

He stays silent, his eyes shutting.

She grips the back of his neck too tightly, lifting it so it faces her. He watches her eyes shift, her teeth lengthen, and feels her claws latch onto his skin, blood already welling from the source. He slumps forward, his face connecting with the hard ground. He groans. Everything fades.

* * *

“It was Zachary, when he was still human I think. He was younger and his pack they were, making fun of him. Treating him like he didn’t belong. He used to cry a lot before he was a wolf.” Stiles says.

Derek runs his hands over his face, in silent frustration.

“They were teasing him because he was human. Because he was only there because of Kali.” He finishes.

“Wait, him and Kali were in the same pack?” Derek asks.

Stiles nods. “Kali was a beta, she was about 19 or 20. Her and Zachary were together, but they treated him different when she wasn’t around to protect him. She snapped one day, and killed three of them, members of her own pack. Then her and Zachary managed to take down their Alpha. She transitioned and I guess somewhere along the way they found someone to even out Zachary’s rank.”

“You mean she found an Alpha for him to kill so they’d be equals?” Derek says.

“I know, doesn’t make much sense because of how controlling she is, but she loves him. I think he’s the only person she truly cares for.”

Stiles sighs because seeing Zachary’s particular memory hit him hard. It made him think too much about his own pack, how at the time of his departure, he was the only human. Being alone for so long in that cell made him have too much time to think. Think about how they don’t really need them, how they wouldn’t come for him because he wasn’t worth the time, the trouble.

He doesn’t realize he’s crying until he feels Derek wipe away a few of his tears. “I won’t let them hurt you again.” He promises.

Stiles chuckles, sniffling. “That’s not what I’m worried about.” Derek remained silent in confusion so Stiles continued. “I’m a human in a werewolf pack.” He explained. “I don’t really fit.”

Derek’s eyes flashed briefly. “You fit just fine.” He growled out. He swallowed, controlling his anger. “You are a part of this pack Stiles, an important part. Don’t ever think otherwise.”

Stiles looked at Derek, really looked at how different he had gotten over the year Stiles had known him. How different Stiles’ view of the Alpha he had. Derek wasn’t a murder suspect who turned Scott into a werewolf, no not anymore, now he was someone with a broken home, a pack he cared desperately for, an Alpha who wanted nothing more than to protect this town from something they couldn’t face themselves.

And on top of all the stress of the Alpha pack, running his own pack of teenage werewolves, worrying for his missing betas, and trying to keep the town safe, he still had to deal with the death of his family. Knowing that everyday his house would still be as empty as it was the day before, that no one would ever be living there like before.

“I’m going to hug you now.” Stiles said suddenly. Derek’s eyes widened a bit, but he said nothing, so Stiles took that as his cue to throw his arms around Derek’s neck and pull him into a tight embrace. Stiles felt the man stiffen, and he waited to be pushed away, but instead felt warm hands wrap around his back and pull him in tighter.

Derek sighed into Stiles neck, the word safe echoing over and over in his head. A quiet mantra letting him know that Stiles was here, alive, that Derek got the chance to share this moment with him. That he gets the chance to share more moments like this with him.

Stiles closed his eyes, looping his arm under Derek’s to reach his back. “I’m not letting go, so you better not push me away.” Stiles whispered, burying his head against Derek’s chest. Derek hummed in agreement, sighing contently when Stiles starting rubbing small circles along his spine.

Derek knows he still needs to ask Stiles questions, still needs to make sure he’s alright, if he really is okay. But for right now this is pretty good. And he doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon.


	5. Chapter 5

There’s air in her lungs but she can’t breathe. She’s drowning on the surface, her heart beating too fast, too loud, it’s all she can hear. Her heart and the sound of her own footsteps as she wanders through the woods alone.

_Abandoned._ She hears. _They left you to die._

She doesn’t know where her feet are taking her, but wherever it is it isn’t far enough. She had to get away, she had to. She couldn’t look at Kali’s hard and trusting eyes, filled with endless stories and memories that kept her pack together.

_What was real? What the hell was even real?_

She can’t go back there, she needs help, she needs something. She needs her family, but then again, who is her family? Did she make her father up, her mother, her siblings? They were all just something she projected in her imagination to what, keep her going?

And now Kali, dammit Kali, tells her everything in her head is a lie. Her own memories were washed away by someone and Kali, she was going to _fix_ her. Fix her like she wasn’t human, like she was some kind of mindless machine that her Alpha could just rewire and adjust.

It’s what she was doing though, wasn’t it. With Damien, Aiden, her own husband. What she was trying with the Hales beta’s. She was _fixing_ them.

She stumbled through a clearing, frowning when she saw the tombstones. A cemetery. She was in a cemetery.

_At least there’s only dead people here,_ she thought. She swallowed, resting her hands on one of the stones.

Maybe she could go leave, go somewhere, anywhere. But where would she go, how the hell would she make it on her own. She was an omega, she wasn’t strong like Aiden, smart like Ethan, or manipulative like Kali. She didn’t even have Andrea’s kindness. She didn’t know who she was, but whoever it was she knew she didn’t like.

The breeze shifted, and she caught a familiar scent. Her first instinct was to run that there was danger, but the scent was sweet, human. And she was curious because of it’s distinct familiarity, even how it was mixed in with a stronger scent, a wolves scent.

She followed it silently in the darkened cemetery, wondering why the human was even out here so late. It must have been no less than two in the morning.

The scent grew stronger, and she heard the boy’s faint words as he talked to piece of granite on the ground.

“I’m just really sorry for bothering you with this, I know you’ve probably got more important things to do.” He said. “But I just need you, mom. I wish you were here. You would’ve taken this werewolf thing so much easier than Dad, though I guess he is taking it pretty well.”

The girl was drawn, walking closer and closer to the boy, who was looking more and more her age as she reached him. She could see the faint scars on his neck from where she stood, probably about twenty feet behind him. She had matching scars, from matching claws on her neck as well.

“Stiles.” She said in remembrance.

The boy’s head whipped around, his heart spiking. “You-You’re, the girl.” He breathed in astonishment. “Cora, you’re-you-oh my god.”

Fear coursed through him, thick enough she could taste it, she frowned though. “How do you know my name?”

Stiles snorted nervously. “How do you know mine?”

She blinked at him, her face emotionless. “You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

“Neither should you.” His heart was still booming, drowning her own out, but he was calming down. He wasn’t afraid anymore.

“Why are you out here, why does your Alpha let you out?” She asked, her voice accusatory, eyes flashing blue.

“Because he trusts me.” Stiles answered, she could hear the truth and it made her sick. Why did this human, this kid, get to have a pack that cares for him, when Cora’s left her. She was stronger than him, faster, and they left her. Why didn’t his pack leave him?

“But you’re human.” She said plainly.

“And you’re not an Alpha, yet you’re a part of their pack.” He challenged.

Everything in her body was telling her to kill him, that he knew too much about wolves for a human, he was dangerous. But the smell, the scent of the wolf that lingered on him. It was triggering something inside her and she didn’t know what, she was as equally as a afraid to find out.

She looked at Stiles again, frail, easy to harm, but he looked so much stronger than her. His stance, his challenging eyes, even his scent was no longer fearful but filled with power.

“Try not to get yourself kidnapped again.” She said, and with that Stiles watched as she shrunk back into the shadows.

He stood like that for a full five minutes before breathing out in relief. She didn’t kill him, he doesn’t know why, but she didn’t. She lost someone, maybe multiple people, with the look she had. She was scared, she was physically stronger than him yet she looked like she wanted to crouch down and submit.

Stiles thinks Kali might’ve did something to her, maybe she’s trying to train her. Why Kali was keeping her around he doesn’t know. Maybe it’s because she’s a born wolf, she might know something that Kali doesn’t. Kali could just want Cora for knowledge alone.

He looks down at the gravestone. “I told you mom, things are getting weird.” He runs his hand over the top of the stone, feeling it’s smoothness. “Love you.” He sighs, smiling.

He needs to go home, as much as he hates it, Cora was right. It’s too late, too dangerous for him to be out here in the open, she already proved that. He’ll come back soon though. First he needs to figure out how the pack is going to save the town. He already knows exactly who he needs to call.

* * *

She’s already in his room by the time he gets there. She’s leaning against his window frame, a small smile on her lips when she sees him.

“It’s good to see you on your own two feet.” Andrea says. She walks over pulling him into a light hug, to which he returns.

“You too.” He smiles. She lets him go, caressing his cheek in a way that reminds him of something his mother would do.

“Not that I don’t love seeing you, but why did you call me? It’s late.” She says. She pulls her hand away, putting it into the pocket of her sweatshirt.

“I need you to tell me everything you know about Cora.” He tell her. Her eyes widen a bit because she didn’t realize he knew who she was, but as she sniffs the air she can tell that he saw her tonight. She didn’t lay a hand on the boy thankfully.

Andrea sits down on Stiles' bed and he follows sitting next to her. “Kali picked her up before I joined. She was an omega, still is. She won’t allow the transition, somethings holding her back. It’s causing Kali to lash out.” Andrea explains to him.

“Does Kali know what’s holding her back?” Stiles asks.

She nods. “Of course, I asked Elle, and she said that when Kali brought the girl in she was covered in claw marks. Elle thinks Kali is trying to change her memories. Take old ones out and plant new ones in.”

“She was going to do that to me, wasn’t she.”

“It’s possible, but I’m not sure. Elle said Cora was delusional she couldn’t remember what was what. She’d be muttering about one family the died and in the same sentence finish with that they tried to kill her. Elle said Kali fixed it though. She fixed Cora.” Andrea shakes her head thinking of the poor child.

“It worked. Whatever Kali did, it worked.” Andrea finishes. “But she still won’t submit to the pack. Kali knows why and as much as Cora tries to submit there’s something stronger holding her back.”

“Like another pack.” Stiles concludes. Andrea smiles at him and his wits.

“Exactly.”

Stiles nods a few times to himself. “Okay, and I need to know. Can we trust Elle? Or Ethan?”

Andrea sighs because she’s been asking herself the same thing for days. Elle joined the Alpha’s because Kali promised unity and safety. Elle had been running , and after losing everyone she had she jumped at the opportunity. Andrea could tell she wanted nothing more than to leave it all behind.

Ethan was another story. She knew he had a good head on his shoulders, he was smart and he knew right from wrong. But she worried that his bond to his brother would be too strong.

“I’m not so sure about Ethan, he has his brother and I know if it comes down to it, he’ll choose Aiden. Elle, though, she’s with us. Give me your phone.” Andrea says reaching her hand out. Stiles digs in his pocket and hands it to her. She clicks away at the buttons plugging a number in. “This is Elle’s number. If Derek wants to talk to her, she’ll come.”

“Do you-” Stiles sighs through his nose. “Do you know-?”

“I don’t know what she’s planning, no. If I find out you and Hale will be the first to know I promise.” She says. She stands up, opening the window. “Get some sleep it’s a school night.” She smiles at him again before sliding out the window. Stiles wonders if there’s some sort of law in the werewolf handbook that states they aren’t allowed to use his front door as he shuts his window.

He looks at the clock, seeing that it’s now 3:30 in the morning and he has to wake up in about four hours. He groans flopping down on his bed, hoping to get some sleep before his alarm wakes him up.

* * *

School goes by quickly, and with the other day’s little incident Stiles is no longer allowed without an escort. It’s a good thing that he has at least one member of his pack in every class because it would look a little weird if they were waiting for him by the door when he was done.

The only thing odd about the day is Ethan sits with them at lunch. Or actually the pack sits with Ethan, who was probably enjoying his lunch in solitude. Thankfully Aiden’s nowhere to be seen and probably has a different lunch period then them.

The look on Ethan’s face is comical when Isaac and Scott plop down on either side of the Alpha, Jackson sitting across from him. Stiles takes a seat on one side of Jackson and Lydia takes the other.

“Uhm, hello?” Ethan says, placing his sandwich back down on his tray. His light eyes are confused, wondering why they would box him in like this in a public place, in school for Christ’s sakes.

“Ethan, buddy, how you liking Beacon Hills so far?” Isaac tries. Stiles rolls his eyes as the three betas all try to compete in some sort of staring contest. He takes out his own lunch and starts to eat because there is no way in hell he’s skipping a meal because of over-emotionally constipated werewolves.

“It’s good.” Ethan says to Isaac, he glances at Stiles for some kind of help but the teen is oblivious and in his own little world as he eats his lunch.

Lydia sighs audibly. “Listen, tell your creepy brother to stop and there’s no way in hell I’m tutoring him and also just because I have boobs doesn’t mean he needs to stare at them.”

Jackson chuckles when Ethan visibly gulps. He knows his girlfriend can be scary when she wants too, werewolves be damned.

“Yeah, sorry about him.” Ethan says, shoulders relaxing a bit. “He’s never been good with boundaries, or picking up hints of distaste.”

“I can tell, and it’s not like I can outright tell him he’s a gargantuan creep that I’d never even consider because he’d try and rip out my throat with those meaty hands of his.” She smiles at the better of the twins sarcastically before munching on some pretzels.

Scott throws an arm around the back of Ethan’s chair. “I think you’re an alright dude.” Scott tells him. Stiles nearly chokes on his food. Of course, of course they planned this all out. Stiles should’ve seen it coming, the betas did go to Lydia’s last night after all. Stiles bets it was her brilliant mind that came up with this.

Ethan looks so flustered that Stiles has to controlling himself so he doesn’t bust a rib laughing. Scott pats Ethan on the shoulder and the Alpha flinches. Flinches under Scott’s touch. Scott who is a beta.

The world is making less and less sense as it progresses, Stiles decides. He also determines that he needs to find out exactly what little plan Lydia conjured up last night. All Stiles can guess is Scott plays the good cop and Lydia plays the bad cop. Stiles guesses Jackson is just playing the bad cop in the sense that he glares at Ethan the entire time because that’s exactly what the beta is going.

Stiles thinks that maybe Jackson is trying to glare Ethan into submission, and from the looks of things it might actually work. Isaac is just there to be himself, and apparently to steal Stiles’ food.

“Hey!” Stiles yells at Isaac whose face is stuffed with half of his lunches french fries. Stiles groans at Isaac’s puppy dog eyes, watching the boy chew and swallow.

“Sorry,” Isaac mutters. “Derek forgot to give me lunch money.”

“Did Derek forget to give you money or did you forget to ask?” Stiles prods.

Isaac frowns at the table. “Both.”

Stiles sighs passing over the rest of his french fries to Isaac, he already has his sandwich, and it’s worth it to see Isaac’s eyes light up.

“Thanks Stiles you’re the best. I’m glad Ethan didn’t kill you.” He smirks sweetly. He starts eating Stiles’ food again and Ethan shakes his head rapidly at the duo.

“I never would’ve-”

“Killed him?” Jackson finishes. “Because you did kidnap him.”

Stiles remains silent as Ethan’s panic grows. “That wasn’t my fault!"

"Then who's was it? You are apart of the pack aren't you?" Lydia asks.

"I would have never taken him! It wasn't my idea!" Ethan argues quietly.

Jackson scoffs. "So you're a coward then."

"I'm not a-"

"How could you try and hurt _Stiles_ , I mean look at him." Scott adds.

"Dude I'm hurt." Stiles shoots at him.

Isaac leans back in his chair to stretch. "Scott's just referring to how soft and squishy you are." He turns to Ethan. "Why would you want to hurt that?" He says motioning to Stiles with his hand.

"I didn't want to hurt-"

"But you did. And you're still with the pack." Lydia says.

"But-"

"You're with them Ethan, admit it." Jackson interupts.

"I don’t want to be alright!”

 

Bingo.

Ethan controls his breathing, staring at his lunch tray. Stiles can see Lydia’s smirk in the corner of his eye so he knows that this is just what she was hoping for. Get him to crack. Get him to admit that he wants an out and maybe they can convince him to help.

“I know you never would’ve hurt me.” Stiles says, making Ethan’s gaze shoot up. It’s weird for Stiles to remember that Ethan is just a kid, that he’s the same age as them. Yet here he is, and Alpha werewolf apart of some cult he doesn’t want to partake in. He looks younger than Stiles, sure he’s a bit bigger, but his blue eyes are sad, his blonde hair too long, the polar contrast to his brother with his dark hair and eyes. He looks like he hasn’t gotten enough sleep in a few weeks.

“Ethan, you need to trust us. We’re your out.” Lydia chimes in. Her voice is so earnest and truthful that Ethan couldn’t do anything other than nod.

“Thank you for the offer but I have my brother.” Ethan reasons.

“Family isn’t always your best ally.” Isaac states plainly, going back to his fries.

Ethan sighs. “I’ll consider it, but I can’t promise you anything. If it comes down to a fight, I won’t kill you, but I will not go against my own blood. He’s all I have.”

“He isn’t though!” Stiles puts out there. “You can have other people. You’re allowed to have people in your life and we can be those people.”

Ethan opens his mouth but the bell rings out signalling that lunch is over. He huffs a breath and stands. “I’ll keep an open mind.”

The rest of the pack stands up, cleaning up their things as well and heading out of the cafeteria and to their next classes.

“Why did no one tell me that we were having a pow-wow today at lunch?” Stiles asks the group. Lydia rolls her eyes at him.

“Because I knew you were smart enough to figure it out on your own Stiles. Now get to class. It’d be nice for someone to actually challenge me in the race to valedictorian. No more rogue kidnappings or getting stabbed by Alpha juice.” She orders.

“I’ll get right on that.” He snorts. Lydia smiles at him, letting Jackson lead her away. Isaac slings his giant arm around Stiles shoulders.

“We’re friends now right?” Isaac says, leading them to their next class. “Cause Scott said you didn’t really want me around, and I get it dude, I was a dick. I deserved for you not to want to hang out with me. But we’re friends now though? Right? Like we got over all the bullshit? We’re pack and what not?”

Isaac lets him go when they get into English and they both take the two empty seats in the back.

“Of course we’re friends Isaac. I just didn’t think I could trust you before, and now I know I can.” Stiles promises him. Isaac’s face lights up and Stiles smiles back, turning towards the teacher as he talks.

Stiles has to fight back groaning out loud when the teacher announces that there will be yet another essay due tomorrow. He doesn’t have time for essays he barely has time to deal with the Alpha pack, to deal with Derek and his sad attractive face.

Derek who he hugged and held onto for a good twenty minutes last night. Stiles wonders what he’s supposed to say to Derek the next time he sees him. Do they do the awkward post hook up dance even though there was no hooking up involved? And now Stiles needs to start focusing on something else because he’s getting very disappointed in the fact that there was no kissing of any kind.

Well shit.

Stiles knew he was bi, it really wasn’t that hard to figure out. The decision was made for him with all these attractive males and females everywhere he looks. And now that he’s officially over Lydia, and Derek’s being all _nice_ it’s kind of hard not to think about his Alpha that way.

And what’s with the nice? Derek was never one to share his feelings, and he still isn’t as much as Stiles wishes he would, but he’s seen Derek smile. Smile. Like at least four times now. It’s kind of ridiculous. And he’s kind of got a ridiculously perfect smile. Which sucks.

He feels his phone vibrate in his pocket, looking up to make sure the teacher has his back turned so he pulls out the device.

There’s a text from an unknown number so he opens it.

_It’s Andrea. Kali could trace our cell’s had to get a disposable. Call a pack meeting. 4pm. I’m bringing Elle. See if you can bring Ethan._

Stiles re-reads the text about a dozen times before it sinks in. He scrolls through his contacts, looking up at the teacher again who’s still writing on the board.

_Derek, pack meeting. 4pm. Andrea, Elle and Ethan are coming. Is that okay? Y/N?_

Isaac glances at him sideways, his hand shooting out and resting on Stiles’ knee that was bouncing up and down. The touch startles him, but he stops moving his leg.

“Are you alright?” Isaac asks, removing his hand slowly.

Stiles nods. “I got a text from Andrea, we’re all meeting up later.” Stiles’ phone goes off again and he checks it.

_Yes. Do me a favor, contact Allison. Inform her. Tell her that if she hasn’t heard from you by 4:15 to tell her father everything and bring the hunters to my house._

Stiles frowns typing his response.

_You think it’s a trap?_

He waits about three seconds.

_We need to be ready, whatever the outcome may be._

Stiles is thinking about what to send him back when another text from Derek follows.

_I don’t like it anymore than you do. Get here before 4pm if you can._

Stiles bites his bottom lip.

_I’ll  talk to Allison and then I’ll be there right after school?_ Stiles hits send.

_Okay._

Stiles shoots a last text to Andrea telling her it’s okay before he puts his phone back into his pocket.

“So what’s up?” Isaac asks.

“Pack meeting at Derek’s at four. Try and see if you can bring Ethan. Maybe get Scott to help you.” He suggests.

Isaac nods. “What about you?”

“I’m going to Derek’s right after school. He needed to talk.”

“Is talk code for sex or...”

Stiles eyes widen. “Dude. No.” He says. Stiles eyes almost go bigger when he see’s Isaac look a bit upset. Why, Jesus, why on earth would this kid be upset that Stiles wasn’t having sex with his Alpha? It makes no sense.

“Why did you-” Stiles starts.

“You guys seem close. And before you got taken I always kinda thought you two were doing it behind our backs.” Isaac shrugs his shoulders.

“Oh.” Stiles manages.

“He cares about you, you know. I don’t know if he’s too damaged to admit it but he does. He nearly lost it when he found out you were missing.” Isaac says. “He could barely think straight, I’ve never seen him so angry.”

Stiles frowns. “Really?”

“It was bad Stiles. The police were looking for you, the Argents, us. It wasn’t a fun time. Derek kept losing your scent and we were just going in circles.” Isaac sighed, reflecting back on those very long and stressful days. He nearly shudders when he thinks of how wrecked Derek looked, his eyes sunken black from the lack of sleep he had gotten.

“Yeah, but he was looking for Erica and Boyd too.” Stiles reasons.

“It wasn’t the same. With Erica and Boyd, the made a choice. They chose to leave.” The wolf whispers. “It doesn’t mean that we’re not getting them back, but they made a choice and you didn’t.”

Stiles doesn’t know what to say so he just keeps his mouth shut and tries to do some of his work. He can’t concentrate though, with the things going on with him and Derek and some of the wolves coming, he doesn’t know how he’s going to manage anything at all.

* * *

As soon as the final bell rings Stiles bolts from his seat and into the hallway. No one pays him any extra attention as he runs down the hall unsurprisingly, because it’s not like the first time it’s happened in the past month.

He chokes on his shirt collar when Jackson grabs him by the sleeve.

“What the fuck Stiles?! You send us all this cryptic message and never respond to any of us so please enlighten me to what the hell is going on!” Jackson snarls, releasing Stiles from his grip.

“Pack meeting.” He breathes. “Ask Isaac. I need to find Allison. And please for the love of God tell Lydia to stay home.”

Jackson’s eyes flash quick blue. “Why, are they coming? Tonight?”

Stiles shakes his head. “Andrea, Elle, Isaac’s grabbing Ethan.”

“And you don’t trust this.” Jackson figures out.

“Of course not. I’ll see you later.” Stiles says, turning and starting to jog off again. “And keep her home!” He calls out as he runs.

He makes it to Allison’s locker just as she’s shutting it and getting ready to walk away. Stiles runs faster though, slamming himself into her locker, making her jump nearly three feet in the air.

“Stiles?!” She squeaks.

Stiles breathes in and out trying to catch his breath, holding up a finger. “God dammit I need to start working out more.” He mumbles to himself. He straightens up and looks at Allison.

“Do you need a ride home?” He asks.

Allison just looks at him puzzled before saying, “I was going to walk but-”

Stiles grabs her by the arm and pulls her with him towards the exit. “Perfect!” He says.

“Are you feeling alright?” She asks him, letting herself be dragged out by the other teen. He brings her all the way to the passenger side of his jeep before letting her go. She just shakes her head and climbs in without a word. She’s seen weirder behavior.

Stiles gets in the driver’s seat, turning the car on quickly and pulling out of the lot as fast as he can without hitting any of his fellow students. As soon as they’re out on the road he starts talking.

“Okay, tell me exactly what you know about the Alpha Pack.” he starts.

She swallows, sitting in silence.

“Allison this is life or death, we might need you and your father’s help. So please, whatever it is-”

“We’ve been tracking them.” She interrupts. Stiles’ mouth falls open and he looks at her for a second before meeting his eyes to the road again. “They’re in a warehouse about a half an hour north of here.”

“And about them, you know-”

“Everything.” She finishes.

Stiles nods. “Okay, okay, and you know which one saved me? The one that helped me?”

“The blonde one, Andrea, my father watched her carry you out to Derek.” She pauses. “Why? Stiles what’s going on?”

“We’re having a meeting. Andrea, Elle, Ethan. They’re supposed to be coming. We need help and... we just think we can trust them.” Stiles replies.

Allison closes her eyes because this is exactly what she feared; getting involved in all this again. Of course she knew all about the Alpha’s she had to know, she didn’t feel safe without the knowledge of who the threats were. But this isn’t what she wanted to use it for. She didn’t want to have to fight werewolves.

“You want me to tell my father.”

“Only if you don’t hear from me.” Stiles says. “They’re coming at 4. By 4:15 if I hadn’t sent you a text by then...”

“Make sure I round up the troops and come and save your asses?” She finishes.

Stiles pulls into the Argent’s driveway. “Please. I know you and Scott aren’t on speaking terms anymore, but this isn’t about that. This isn’t about Derek, or Isaac, or the pack. This about innocent people dying if we can’t stop them.”

Allison looks at her house then back at Stiles. “4:15.” She echoes. She grabs Stiles shoulder and squeezes before getting out of the car. Stiles watches her go into her home, peeling away as soon as she’s inside.

He takes the familiar turn into the woods, his nerves building higher as he gets closer and closer to the Hale house. He pulls his car to a stop once he reaches it, tugging out his cellphone to send a text to his father.

_Hairy creatures on the loose tonight. Be careful. Love you._

He gets up to the Hale house, not bothering to knock and just letting himself in.

“Derek?” He calls out. His phone vibrates and he looks down.

_Stay safe and don’t do anything stupid. I love you too, son._

“Living room.” Derek says back to him.

He smiles at his phone, checking the time. T-Minus 34 minutes until they show up. He sighs, shoving it into his pocket.

He walks into the living room where Derek is already sitting on the couch. He’s fiddling with some book, eyebrows drawn together as he reads.

“What’s that?” Stiles asks him, sitting down next to him on the worn couch.

Derek looks up at Stiles then back at the book. He shuts it. “Nothing, it’s just... nothing.”

“Come on Derek, why’d you invite me over if you weren’t gonna tell me all about your fancy little secret book filled with secrets?”

Derek rolls his eyes. “Because it’s a secret.” He says seriously.

Stiles scoffs. “The wolf’s got jokes. What a time to bring out that humor.”

“It was my father’s.”

“What?”

“The book. It was my father’s. I was trying to see if he’s ever seen or heard of any kind of Alpha pack before. He hasn’t, unfortunately.”

Stiles purses his lips. “Then why were you doing your funky eyebrow dance at the book like it did know something?”

“My father faced some interesting things in his time.” Derek says, almost smiling.

“More interesting than a Kanima?” Stiles presses.

Derek nods. “Really interesting.” He insists a tiny smirk playing at his lips, knowing how riled up Stiles is on the inside.

“Don’t make me beg, cause I’ll do it.” He warns.

His smirk grows. “I’d like to see you try.”

Stiles hits him on the shoulder with a huff. “You’re a toddler you know that? A big giant tease of a toddler who acts like he knows all the secrets to the universe and doesn’t care to share.”

“You ever hear of a Banshee? My dad fought off three of them when he was only 18.” Derek tells him, his grin growing when Stiles’ eyes widen in delight.

“Dude, no freaking way. What else?” Stiles prods, scooting even closer to the wolf.

Derek smiles down at himself before looking at Stiles again. “Vampires.” He says.

Stiles’ mouth actually falls open. “Vampires are so not real. I’m calling bullshit on that one.”

“Oh they’re real, there’s only a couple hundred of them throughout the world though. They’re pretty close to extinct. They tend to stick to colder areas too, so we’re fine.” Derek tells him.

“Then how did your Dad fight one off?” Stiles asks.

Derek shrugs. “I don’t know, he never told me. He just wrote how much he hated them. Maybe there were more when he was younger.”

“That’s true.” Stiles agrees. “So what else? Any ghosts? Demons? Wendigos?”

Derek chuckles. “I’ll tell you some other time, that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Stiles’ face falls a bit because he’d really like to hear all about Derek’s father’s adventures, but he remembers why he’s here, because of Derek, and his heart picks back up again.

“Okay, what’s up?” Stiles asks.

“I just wanted to make sure you were alright, with all of this going on, you haven’t really had a chance to relax.” Derek sighs.

Stiles smiles at him. “I haven’t relaxed since Scott turned. It’s nothing new. Thank you for the concern though.”

Derek just shakes his head. “It’s not alright, you shouldn’t have to deal with any of this, you’re just-”

“Human?” Stiles throws in, frowning a bit.

“No, not human. You’re you.” Derek groans. He runs his hands over his face. “If you were a wolf it’d be worse because you’d be throwing yourself into even more dangerous situations. It’d be a catastrophe.”

“I guess you have a point.” Stiles agrees. “But why are you bringing it up now?”

“They wanted you in their pack, I already told you that, they wanted to turn you.” Derek informs him. His eyes are tinged with a light red at recollection of the events.

“Why are you telling me this now? You don’t think they’re gonna come back for me do? Is that what you’re worried about?”

Derek shakes his head again. “No, I’m afraid of-” _losing you,_ he thinks.

“Derek?” Stiles tentatively reaches out, laying a hand on Derek’s shoulder. The man turns to him and Stiles doesn’t think he’s ever seen him more vulnerable. It makes the boy’s heart clench in his chest.

“Do you want the bite?” Derek asks him softly.

Stiles’ eyes bulge and his grip on Derek tightens. “Why- No! No I don’t. Why would you even ask me that?”

Derek smiles a bit. “I just wanted to hear it for myself. Peter told me-. But you never know with him. I needed to hear it.”

“My heart.”

Derek nods.

“But why?”

“You’re always talking about how you wish you were stronger, how you wanted to protect everyone.”

Stiles just looks at him. “You’d just give it to me? If I just asked?”

Derek chuckles. “You’d make a great wolf. You’d take too many risks, but still, you’d be one of a kind.”

Stiles blushes because he’s a teen boy and dammit Derek’s basically telling him that he- _oh my god,_ Stiles thinks.

He hits Derek hard on the chest making the man's eyes widen. “You like me.” Stiles finally realizes. “You don’t want to rip out my lungs and beat the pack with them, oh my god, you actually care about me.” Stiles smile is blinding, and he takes Derek’s silence as confirmation, tackling the Alpha into a hug and making them fall back on the couch. Stiles buries his head into Derek’s chest, smiling even wider when he feels Derek’s arms tighten around him.

“You’re gonna be the death of me.” Derek grumbles. He inhales Stiles’ scent as the teen continues to nuzzle at him. “Can you get off?”

Stiles freezes. “Oh my god, sorry.” He bolts off from where he was laying on Derek with his eyes huge and regretful. Derek follows Stiles, sitting up as well as the teen continues on. “I shouldn’t have hugged you. And I’m sorry, and I thought cause yesterday- and Derek I shouldn’t have done it. I am really-”

Derek puts a finger to his lips. “I wanted you to get off me so I could reach you better.”

“Reach me...?” The words die in his throat as Derek leans in the press his lips to Stiles’. It’s soft, almost careful, like Derek’s afraid Stiles is going to pull away in horror. The teen doesn’t though, bringing his hand up and tangling it in Derek’s hair to draw him closer. The touch must be all Derek needs, because he molds his lips a bit harder, making Stiles moan.

Derek pushes him back down on the couch, crowding his body and mouth with his own. Derek’s hands find his waist, rubbing at the skin under Stiles’ shirt. He feels like his body’s lighting on fire, his head is going to explode, his dick is going to burst out of his pants and it’s fantastic.

He nips at Derek’s bottom lip making the older man groan. “The death of me.” He punctuates, moving his lips from Stiles’ to go to his neck, making his hips arch up at the new contact.

“I’m the human remember? You’re gonna kill me.” Stiles breathes out huskily. He can barely form a coherent thought while Derek has his mouth latched onto the skin of his neck. Derek drags his teeth along Stiles neck drawing out a moan from the both of them.

“Biting kink?” Derek murmurs against Stiles neck with a smirk, letting his teeth scrape the flesh again. Stiles can’t help but shiver, gripping on to Derek’s arms.

“Well at least I’ve got a werewolf to keep my satisfied then, hm?” Stiles manages, his cock growing harder in his jeans. He prays that this won’t be over so quickly.

Derek kisses his way back to Stiles’ jaw, lingering when he gets to his lips. “Oh really?” Derek challenges. He kisses him again, his tongue tracing his bottom lip. Stiles feels Derek’s hand start to creep lower when the werewolf’s entire body freezes before Derek pulls back.

“What’s going-” Stiles starts.

“Scott’s down the road. He has Isaac. And Ethan.” Derek says. He stands up, his face going back to it’s stoic default.

Stiles sighs out in relief, sitting up as well. “Oh.” He breathes. “I thought you changed your mind.”

Derek looks down at him where Stiles still sits, offering a hand to help him up. Stiles takes it, letting Derek pull him so he stands right in front of him.

“Nothing’s changed Stiles, I promise.” Derek assures, leaning in to give him another kiss. Derek pulls away, bringing his hand up to linger on Stiles’ cheek. “Stay close to me when they get here, okay?”

Stiles can tell he’s trying to hide his fear, that his words are laced with worry. He leans into Derek’s touch though, nodding his head. “Of course.”

Derek gives him one last look before removing his hand just as they hear Scott call out to them. They go out the front door together, seeing the two betas and Ethan. Stiles notices how Derek tenses in the other Alpha’s presence.

“Ethan.” He greets, crossing his arms across his chest. Ethan pushes his blonde hair from his eyes and nods a bit nervously which seems to calm Derek down. Stiles has to remember that Ethan’s only 17 and having to struggle with what Derek’s going through right now. That eases Stiles mind.

“I’m glad you invited me.” The Alpha replies. Derek walks down his front steps as Stiles trails behind just as Jackson pulls up in his porsche. Stiles catches knowing eyes from Isaac and Jackson as he stands next to Scott, making the teen blush again. He’s glad Scott’s too oblivious for his own good.

Jackson stomps over to where they all stand, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets muttering something about how he should’ve went with the Range Rover if he knew he was going to be driving through the forest all the time.

“Where’re the other two?” Jackson asks, walking to Stiles’ side. Derek’s eyes don’t move from where they’re locked on Ethan.

Stiles just shrugs. “Thanks for making her stay home.” Stiles says. “How’d you do it anyway?”

Jackson smirks. “You wouldn’t want to know Stilinski, trust me.”

Stiles groans. “Ugh, you perv.”

Stiles notices Derek tense, his body straighten and his eyes grow a dark red. The rest of the wolves perk up as well turning to greet the ones approaching.

Andrea and Elle emerge from the trees together, Andrea looking far more comfortable than Elle who’s rubbing her hands together periodically as they get closer. The scar on Elle's cheek makes her look stronger somehow, like she's had to fight harder battles then those around her. Stiles wonders when she got it because he can't remember seeing it on her face when he saw her pack die. 

“Hale.” Andrea says. “Glad to see you’re all still alive.” She smirks. Elle glances at Andera and then to Stiles, her eyes soft at the sight of the boy who’s no longer smells of fear and death. Andrea moves her line of sight to Stiles. “You too kid.” She adds.

Derek advances towards them, leaving Stiles next to Jackson. “You called this meeting, so please, if you could tell us why?”

Andrea’s eyes grow a bit colder. “Isn’t it obvious? We have a mutual problem that needs to be wiped out.”

“You expect us to fight?” Derek asks.

“Trust me you’ll want to.” She presses.

“And why is that?” A voice says. Stiles whips his head back to see Peter walking down the front steps of his home, eyebrow perched. Ethan starts to look uncomfortable with all these wolves around him.

Andrea just looks at Peter before turning back to Derek. “It’ll come down to it.” She promises.

“How do you know?”

“Because she’s told me.” Andrea spits. Stiles has never seen her so vivid, angry not at Derek, but at the pack she’s apart of. She doesn’t like what they’re doing, doesn’t approve of what Kali wants to do. She wants to help. She’s trying to.

“When?” Derek asks.

“A week and two days.” She answers.

Stiles groans next to Jackson, who looks at him in a sort of agreement. They know it’s not enough time to prepare for anything.

Scott lets out a low sound in his throat. “I don’t get it.” He finally says. “Why are they even here?”

Andrea frowns at him then at Derek who’s looking at her for an answer. “You really don’t know.” She says. She looks at each member of the pack, at Ethan and Elle too, before looking back to Derek.

“They’re here for you.”

Derek just blinks at her.

“What do they want with my nephew?” Peter speaks up, moving to stand next to Derek.

Andrea fights rolling her eyes, because she thinks it should be clear by now. “If you’re asking what an Alpha pack wants with your Alpha...”

“They want him to join?” Isaac chimes in. “But they haven’t said anything!”

Derek glances at Isaac, then at Stiles who’s just standing their with his mouth open in silent realization. Derek tilts his head at the boy, willing him to look up.

“Stiles?” Derek tries. “What is it?”

Stiles looks up to see the wolves staring at him. Andrea her eyes understanding while Derek’s are just confused. “When you made that deal, with Kali, where you got me back, that’s when their plan changed wasn’t it?” He asks Andrea.

“Yes.”

“She realized he wasn’t what she wanted because he had more attachments than Kali thought.” He concludes.

“She thought he was alone, you’re correct.”

“And now because she has no use for him...”

“She’s going to try and murder your pack.” She finishes.

The only sound heard throughout the forest is Stiles’ loud breathing, sometimes the sound of Isaac sighing deeply through his nose.

“Why would they kill my pack? Why not leave?” Derek finally asks.

Andrea looks at him sadly, her eyes though, showing a bit of controlled rage. “Once the pack is eliminated, you need somewhere to go. Your Alpha instincts will overrun your senses and you’ll choose her pack. It’s not a conscious decision Derek, you can’t help it.”

“Is that what happened to you?”

She swallows, nodding. “I can’t prove that it was her, but I know it was. Hunters didn’t live in our parts.”

“But the wolfsbane bullet that man had...” Stiles trails, recalling Andrea’s past from when Ethan gave him her memory.

“It might’ve been hunters that attacked my family Stiles, but Kali was the one that told them where we were.” She says sadly. Elle reaches out and grabs Andrea’s arm, squeezing it to comfort her. There’s so much death around them, all of them, Alpha’s, beta’s and human alike, that they’ve had to experience.

Derek and Peter’s family, Ethan’s and Andrea's pack's, Elle’s pack, her son. Isaac lost his father, his mom, his brother. Jackson had to deal with being someone’s puppet, killing people for them. Scott had dealt with an uncontrollable rage that made him want to murder his own girlfriend. And Stiles, through losing his mother. They all know what that familiar ache in their chest is like, how to handle it and push it away, how to let the pain in and try to feel something so they know that their memories were actually real.

“We’ll work with you.” Derek says. “If that’s okay with the rest of us?” He turns towards each member, watching them nod in agreement, his eyes lingering on Stiles a bit longer.

“Good. We better get going. A week and a half Hale. Use it wisely.” She says. She nods to Ethan who follows behind her and Elle as they disappear back into the woods.

“Text Allison.” Derek says to Stiles. Stiles nods, wiping out his phone and sending a quick text to tell her that everything was fine and not to alert the calvary.

The pack follows behind Derek as he walks up to his porch, turning to face them. “Go home, all of you. Spend time with your families. Rest. We’ll meet in two days.” His eyes are blank as he walks back into his home, shutting the door behind him.

“You need somewhere to crash?” Scott asks Isaac. The beta nods, smiling when Scott wraps his arm around Isaac’s long shoulders. They walk together to where Scott’s car waits, getting in and driving off.

Jackson shakes his head, looking at Stiles. “Didn’t know you and your best friend swung for the same team.” He comments.

“Me either.” Is all Stiles can get out. Stiles looks back at the Hale house, his eyes sad, the remembrance of Derek’s lips on his.

A week and two days. Until what? Until their death? Their triumph?

“People are gonna die.” Stiles whispers to Jackson.

“People die. Shit happens.” Jackson responds. “I’m going to Lydia’s, you gonna be alright on your own?”

Stiles nods. “Tell her what happened.”

Jackson’s lips form a little frown, his eyebrows mirroring their action. He leaves without another word, screeching away in his porsche.

Stiles doesn’t know what to do with himself. Leave, stay? Go home and what? Sit alone in his room thinking of all the various ways his pack members can die? How they only have such a short time all together.

“My window will be unlocked tonight.” Stiles says to the house, knowing Derek can hear him from inside.

He tries not to think too much of it when no one shows up at his house later that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler Alert: They all die. 
> 
> Lol jk


	6. Chapter 6

There’s fire in her lungs when she wakes up again. There’s always fire, always a burning at night. Why, why though? Her family left her like she was a worthless animal, why does she care so much? Her father who beat her, her mother who scolded her every move.

Why did she care?

She gets out of bed, toeing on her shoes and quietly getting herself out of her window and into the cool night. She starts running because she needs that burn back. The ache of the fire in her chest, because at least then she feels something. She knows something is real.

She lets her feet carry her all throughout the woods, flying past trees faster, faster until it’s not just her lungs that burn. Her entire body is covered in fire, she’s igniting again.

She comes to a halt when she sees an old house, falling apart and scorched out. It’s charred and blackened, she listens for a second hearing no one inside or around it. She goes forth, stepping up the stairs and letting her hands run over the banister.

Something familiar, something tragic beats in her heart.

The burning gets stronger.

She opens the door, half expecting it to fall. She steps inside, not allowing her feet to make a sound. It smells of wolves, of death, of human. Too many scents to trace, too much activity for a burned out home.

She walks further, her eyes lingering on the staircase, going past to view the living room. She continues to what she believes to have been a kitchen. All the appliances covered in soot, a hole in the tiled floor.

She runs her hand over the counter, running her fingers through the ash. It burned like her chest. Like her heart. Like her head.

She hears a faint heartbeat, loud and getting closer as it approaches the house. She runs out the back, careful to not stumble on the fallen remains. She’s in the woods before the person, the wolf, gets back to his den.

She wonders why she burns just like the house once had. She wonders if the wolf inside burns with her.

* * *

When Stiles wakes up the next morning the only thoughts that he can fathom is that he’s going to die soon, and Derek stood him up last night.

To be fair he expected both of them to happen, but it doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

He goes through school hollow, his smiles fake, his sarcasm darker than usual. He just wants to get home, get on his computer and find out everything he possibly can on how to take down an Alpha pack.

And he does get home, but because fate either hates him or loves him, Derek’s standing in his room.

“Nice of you to stop by.” Stiles comments. Tossing his backpack near his closet and sliding into his desk chair. Derek frowns from where he sits on Stiles bed.

“Someone was in my house last night.” Derek says.

Stiles turns around in his chair to face Derek. “And by someone you mean...?”

“She smelled like- she was too familiar.” The Alpha looks down at his hands, his face etched in confusion.

“Familiar like friend or like someone who’s gonna also try and kill us?” Stiles follows up with.

“Familiar like-.” he sighs. “Familiar like family.”

Stiles’ eyes widen. “Like pack family or like-”

“Family.”

They sit there in silence until Stiles breaks it. “Why did you tell me this?”

Derek looks up at Stiles like he’s an idiot. “Because I trust you.”

“You trust me?” Stiles repeats.

Derek stands up, walking over to where Stiles sits and kneels in front of him, placing a hand on the teen’s cheek. “I trust you.” Derek promises. He leans in to press his lips against Stiles’, his hand moving from his cheek to caress his jaw.

Stiles melts against him, tugging at his leather jacket to pull him in closer, his tongue sliding into Derek’s mouth, a groan echoing out from the both of them. Stiles wants this, he wants Derek all too desperately.

Stiles pushes Derek off him, confusing the Alpha, until the teen stands up and drags the man to his bed, pushing Derek down and straddling his hips. Their lips meet in the middle, Derek’s fingers running under Stiles’ shirt and along his hipbones. He moans when Dreek tugs his bottom lip in between his teeth at the same time he feels how hard Derek is.

“If we aren’t naked in about five minutes I’m going to explode.” Stiles whines, cupping Derek’s cheeks with both hands to pull him into a filthy kiss.

Derek bites at his jaw, his neck. “Isn’t that the point?” He retorts before sucking on his neck. Stiles’ threads one hand in Derek’s hair, the other grasping firmly on his shoulder. Derek starts pulling Stiles’ shirt up, hands moving along his abdomen, then removing his lips to fully take off the article of clothing.

Derek grinds his hips up, kissing the teen again. “Still too many clothes.” Stiles mumbles. He pushes Derek down on the bed, roughly removing Derek’s jacket and shirt. He’s surprised Derek let him push him down like that. Stiles starts moving to the belt area, trying to get Derek’s off, but the man flips them swiftly so he has Stiles trapped underneath him.

He gets off Stiles’ belt, kissing him again, then sighing against his lips. “This is your first time isn’t it?”

Derek pulls back to look at the teen. “Yeah, and? I want this dude. We’ve got like a week before everything goes to shit and I’d really like to have my virginity taken away by someone I care about.”

Stiles kisses him again, slower this time, more relaxed than before. Derek lets his hands wander down the boy’s sides, thumbing along the edge of his pants.

“You sure?” He asks again. He needs to hear it.

“Yes, Derek, for fuck’s sake, _fuck me_.” Stiles groans. Derek listens to the truth in his heart, kissing him a bit harder as he tugs Stiles’ pants and underwear off in one motion, Stiles’ dick already leaking precome as it pops out of his remaining clothes.

He sits up, working at his own belt. “Lube, condoms?” He says, getting off the bed to get his pants off as well. When he gets back on the bed Stiles hands him the small bottle, still holding the condom in his hand.

“If you’re clean...” He starts.

“Werewolves don’t carry disease.” He confirms. Stiles swallows, tossing the condom aside and pulling Derek down to kiss him again. They both groan when their dicks rub together, making Stiles arch his back up at the contact.

Stiles hears the tube uncap and soon enough he feels the cool liquid along with Derek’s finger tracing his hole.

“Fuck.” He groans as soon as Derek slides a finger in. He never thought it would feel this good, he didn’t think it would be this good, could be. Derek kisses along Stiles’ chest, working his finger in and out of his body, gently sliding in another one.

Derek circles Stiles’ nipple with his tongue, listening intently to the breathy moans coming from the boy above him. He curls his fingers, watching him arch his back, his dick leaking messily over his stomach. Derek nips at his chest, Stiles’ fingers finding their way back into his hair again.

He pushes another finger inside the teen, stretching him further. He wonders if he can get Stiles off without touching his dick, without entering him, with just his fingers alone. Derek doesn’t have enough patience for that right now though, removing all three fingers, smirking when Stiles moans at the loss.

He lines up his cock at Stiles’ entrance, pushing the tip in lightly.

“Derek come on.” He grounds out. He pushes down a bit to get Derek inside him further, his hand fisting in his sheets as Derek went in all the way slowly until finally bottoming him out.

Derek stills, letting Stiles adjust a bit until the teen starts moving, eager for more. Derek starts to move his hips, dropping his head down to reach Stiles’ lips as he continued to fuck him. Stiles grabs at Derek’s back, trying to pull him in further, deeper, closer to him than he already is.

He starts to move faster and soon enough Stiles is meeting Derek’s thrusts with his own, the sound of their uneven breaths filling the room.

“Derek, _fuck_ , touch me, please.” He groans.

He bites at the boys collarbone, licking it as he finally wraps his hand around his hard dick. It only takes two twists of Derek’s wrist before he’s coming between them, mouth open, cheeks flushed and a loud drawn out moan of Derek’s name.

As soon as he hears his name on Stiles’ lips he finds his own release, resting his head against the other man’s, his hips finally stilling.

When he catches his breath he kisses Stiles again, sliding out of him and off to the side.

“We better not die because I plan on doing that for a very long time.” Stiles states, rolling his head over to meet Derek’s from where they both way. Derek meets his eyes, laughing lightly at Stiles’ after sex glow.

“Oh really?” Derek challenges.

“Yep. You’re stuck with me now.”

Derek tugs Stiles against him, his fingers running smoothly along his spine. Stiles smiles against Derek’s chest, his arm slinging across his abdomen.

“I guess I could’ve gotten stuck with worse.” Derek reasons.

Stiles snorts, and the man chuckles softly. “I’m gonna sleep now okay? It’ll probably be really gross in the morning but I don’t really care right now.”

Derek hums in response, just tightening the grip he has on the boy. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon. The Alpha pack can wait for now, the person in his house can wait. They can all just stop because for once Derek Hale is content on just laying down and letting himself be perfectly happy with what he’s doing and who he’s doing it with.

* * *

Stiles wakes up in the morning to the sound of his shower running and pots and pans banging in the kitchen. He’s still naked, but at least he’s covered in his blanket. He stretches up, smiling a bit when he feels the tiny ache below his waist. He runs his hand up to his neck feeling each bruise Derek left on his skin from his lips. Last night still seems surreal.

The shower shuts off and Stiles takes that as his cue to roll out of bed, tangling himself briefly in his blanket, before flopping on the floor. He grabs a pair of boxers, standing up to get them on. Just as he stands up Derek walks out of his bathroom, clothed, his hair still damp from his shower.

“Morning.” He greets. Stiles nods, smiling. He feels like this should be awkward. Post sex and cuddling awkwardness should be happening, yet it surprisingly isn’t.

“Sleep good?” Stiles asks with a soft smirk. Derek rolls his eyes.

“Take a shower and come downstairs for breakfast. The pack’s waiting.” Derek walks over to where Stiles still stands, planting a soft kiss on his lips. “Hurry before Scott eats all the bacon.”

Stiles kisses him again, just because he can, and walks over to his dresser to grab the things he needs for his shower. Derek walks down the stairs, the commotion already getting louder.

“Don’t let her near the stove, she’ll burn everything!”

“Says the guy that can’t even microwave a tv dinner!”

“That was one time!”

“Isaac help me.”

“Scott I have to make the pancakes, beating eggs isn’t that hard.”

“It is for McCall.”

Derek gets himself into the kitchen, shaking his head at the mess in front of him. Lydia’s setting the table, scolding Jackson as he sits and does nothing to help. Isaac has about thirty pancakes already made and Scott’s just staring hopelessly at the bowl where he must’ve cracked all the eggs.

“Does Stiles have a whisk?” Derek asks. Scott turns to him, frowning, then searching the drawers, before landing upon one. He looks at his Alpha expectantly. “Now whisk.”

“Dumbass.” Jackson snorts. Isaac smacks the teen in the back of the head causing Jackson to growl.

“Enough.” Lydia practically growls back. Jackson stops, just glaring at Isaac instead.

Lydia smiles at Derek then, a bit knowingly, then follows with a wink. He tries to tell himself he doesn’t blush.

“Jackson get out the cups and some drinks.” Derek says. Jackson looks at him, groans, then gets up to start the task at hand.

Together they make a breakfast enough to feed all the werewolves, Stiles whose appetite nearly matches theirs, and Lydia. Isaac had just placed the mountainous stack of pancakes on the table when Stiles bounded down the stairs.

“Sweet Jesus.” He breathes out. He casts a look over to Derek, seeing the older man’s smirk. The pack is already sitting down, the empty seat open next to Derek and Scott. He smiles, plopping down in between them, smiling wider when Derek squeezes his knee under the table.

Isaac wastes no time, stacking his plate with pancakes and bacon, covering it in an obscene amount of syrup. Scott looks at his plate, then at Isaac.

Isaac looks at Scott shrugging. “Dad thought syrup was a sin or something. We never had it in our house.” He forks up a scoop of pancakes moaning a bit. Jackson rolls his eyes, getting food on his and Lydia’s plates. Stiles thinks that’s actually kind of adorable.

They eat as much as they can bear, until there’s not a pancake left for them to devour. Scott’s the last one to let his fork clink to his plate, half a piece of bacon still hanging from his mouth.

“You’d think this was our last meal.” Stiles snorts. Jackson glares at him pointedly. “Too soon?” He winces.

Derek sighs beside him. “When you can move you’re all gonna clean this mess up. Lydia can I talk to you for a minute?”

Derek gets up and Lydia follows him into the Stilinski’s living room. Derek waits until he hears Stiles start to yell at his betas to clean up before he begins talking to her.

“How much has Jackson told you about what happened the other night with Andrea and the others?” He starts with. Lydia frowns.

“Everything. We don’t keep secrets anymore, why Derek, what is it?” She crosses her arms across her chest, making her remind him so much of his sister Laura. Big, hard, worried eyes, filled with a sense of determination and pride. He sees his sister in her more with each passing day. She’s just as strong as Laura was.

“Then you know that they’ll be coming soon enough.” Lydia nods at him. “I need to ask you where you stand on a fight. I know you’re clever, but I know I’m not just speaking for myself when I’m asking you to stay home.”

Lydia’s worry turns into a cold glare. “No, absolutely not. There is no way in hell I’m staying home.”

“So you’ll fight? With what exactly? This isn’t like before when there was only one Alpha, or a few hunters. This a pack of trained Alpha’s. How will you defend yourself?”

Derek sees the moment she breaks. The scenarios playing over her head, all the ways she’s trying to think up that she can help. She knows she can’t. As much as she wants to help Jackson she knows she’ll be more of a liability than an assistance.

“Stiles is going to put up a harder fight than I am.” She finally says quietly.

Derek sighs. “I know. But he’ll stay. He’ll have to.” He shakes his head for a minute. “I’m headed to the Argent’s today to work up some sort of plan to make sure we’re all on the same side here. I’ll see what I can do about you staying in their home. If the wolves smell pack on you it’s better for you to be away from your family and in a house with enough artillery to take down a dozen wolves.”

She smirks at that. “Will your boyfriend be staying there with me because I’m not sure he knows how to fire a gun.”

“And you do?” Derek challenges.

Her smirk broadens. “What do you think?”

He looks at the girl, no woman, again. Of course she can fire a gun, she’s probably just a good as shot as a hunter. It doesn’t mean she can stand with them in a fight though, wolves are too fast, Alpha’s faster. If they see a pretty little redhead wielding a weapon with a poison that kills them they’ll take her out in half a heartbeat.

He sighs through his nose. “I don’t know where Stiles will be staying yet. Definitely not here, but I have a feeling he’ll want to be near his father.”

“That station would probably be safe. Get the Argents to slip wolfsbane bullets into the police force’s guns and you’re golden.” She states.

Derek smiles at her. “Why is someone as smart as you with someone like Jackson?”

She smiles back at him. “Because I love him.” She answers honestly. “Now you’d better get going to the Argent's because it’s not like we’re too keen on time here. Are you planning on going alone?” The silent or are you taking Stiles too doesn’t go unheard.

“I’m taking Scott, Isaac and Stiles. You and Jackson deserve some time together.”

“There’s not enough of that going around these days is there?” She shakes her head, walking back into the kitchen area.

Derek can’t move from where he stands. They don’t have enough time for anything. Isn’t that always the case though? The pack is finally starting to come together as one, just to be ripped to shreds by a bigger, stronger pack?

No, Derek doesn’t believe that. They’ll stand a chance. It’s easier to fight for something when you’re fighting for your home, your family, your pack. And if the Argent's help them, if they stand with them, they might just come out of this victorious.

“Derek?” It’s Stiles that draws him from his worries. Of course it is. A hand lays on his shoulder, amber eyes meeting his. Stiles leans forward, pressing a kiss to Derek’s lips, his fingers tightening on his shoulder when he does so.

“We need to go to the Argent's.” Derek states when he pulls away.

Stiles nods. “Okay we’ll take my jeep.” His fingers squeeze his shoulder again, only to move down his arm and tangle with his hand. “Come on.” He tugs at his hand, pulling them towards the door.

“Scott, Isaac, let’s go.” Derek calls out. He hears the betas shuffle together as Stiles opens his front door. He only ever lets go of Derek’s hand when they have to get themselves into the car, but as soon as they’re inside and driving their hands find each other’s again. Isaac stays quiet in the back seat but Scott doesn’t.

“When were you gonna tell me you got a boyfriend dude?” Scott says, his voice a tad hurt.

Stiles rolls his eyes. “When were you gonna tell me you got a boyfriend?”

Scott frowns and Isaac blushes. “I don’t have a boyfriend or even a girlfriend. What are you talking about?”

Derek tightens his grip around Stiles’ fingers, stroking them with his thumb a bit. Stiles glances from the road to the Derek, before answering Scott.

“We’ll talk later. And don’t be an asshole to Allison. Either of you.” He shoots a look to Isaac.

Isaac glares at him. “I forgot you weren’t there when she literally stabbed me in the back with her crazy hunter knives.”

“I’m not defending her for doing that, but she’s only a year older than you. She lost her mom, her aunt, she was lied to be her entire family for the first 16 years of her life. She's alone in this, she doesn't have the pack like we do. She made a mistake.”

Isaac remains quiet the rest of the drive, crossing his long arms across his chest. He wants to be mad at the girl, he is really, but he knows what it’s like to lose somebody close to you and suddenly feel helpless and alone. He understands people cope with things differently. He wants to hate Allison Argent but he can’t.

They go the rest of the way in silence. Until they pull up into the Argent’s driveway and Stiles cuts the engine to his car.

“Let me do the talking alright?” Derek says, stepping out of the car. The betas follow, as does Stiles, taking his place next to Derek as they walk towards the front door of Allison’s home. Stiles takes it upon himself to knock on the door. They wait about two minutes until Chris Argent opens his, his eyes showing no form of surprise at all.

“I was hoping this wouldn’t happen.” He mutters. He steps aside. “Come in.”

He watches begrudgingly as the Alpha wolf steps into his home, his pack not far behind. Chris is glad that they’re not all here though because having the entire Hale pack under his roof at one time would be just too much.

Chris leads the way into his kitchen, calling out to Allison to tell her to come downstairs. Chris leans behind the kitchen bar, with the pack on the other side, an invisible barrier of sorts. Allison comes into the room, frowning a bit but realizes why everyone is together in her home quickly. She stands in the middle of the kitchen bar, her right side towards her father, her left to the pack.

“So when are they coming?” Chris asks Derek. He knew this would come soon, he hoped they could avoid it, but he was aware of the inevitability of the Alpha pack invading Beacon Hills.

“A week.” Derek states. His fists are bunched at his sides and Stiles wants to reach out and try and comfort him. He knows not to though, because holding his hand in front of the pack is one thing, doing it in front of a hunter they can’t quite trust is another.

Scott can’t bring himself to even look at Allison, much like Isaac, even though the girl is burning holes into the betas with her eyes.

“So I’m guessing you expect our help?” Chris prods.

Derek nods. “I’m asking you to stand with us.”

Chris is silent, remembering his wife in his arms as she bled out from the bite that Derek had given her, remembers finding his sister laying with her throat torn out inside the Hale house. He can’t stop himself from remembering the fire his family caused, remembering all the pictures in the newspaper, all the children, human and wolf.

He looks at Stiles, a teen who he knows has saved his daughter from herself. He looks at Scott, a boy who put his daughter’s life above his on many occasions. He remembers Derek killing his own Uncle because he was too far gone. He remembers that Derek can’t be older than 24 and has already lost his pack, his family once.

“We’ll fight.” Chris finally says. Derek’s eyes widen briefly, Allison’s head darting to him in surprise. “I have a few friends in Washington. They owe me a few favors, I’ll see what I can do.”

“I’d like to keep Lydia here. The Alphas won’t be looking for hunters, but they might look for her because she’s pack. She can’t stay at her own home.”

Stiles glances at Derek, drawing together a tight fist because he knows Derek’s going to want him to stay out of this too. Damn it, he should’ve seen that one coming. Stiles knows this isn’t the time to bring it up though.  
  
“She’d be safer here than she would in her own home.”

“We also want to put wolfsbane bullets in the police officers guns.” Derek informs. Chrir eyes him warily.

“How do you propose we go about doing that?” Argent asks.

“Uh, we tell my dad, the sheriff of this town?” Stiles cuts in.

“Your father knows?” Chris asked surprised.

“Well yeah, had to explain my random kidnapping without him going on a manhunt somehow. The truth seemed like the best option.”

Chris shrugs. “Fine we have enough bullets to go in and swap their old ones with ours. They won’t notice a thing.”

“Good.” Derek says. “Get that arranged and come by the station tomorrow.” He looks at Allison. “I know we’re not on the best of terms, but I’d appreciate it if you stood with us this time around.”

Allison looks like she might break down and cry any second and Stiles can see how hard she’s trying to hold all her emotions together.

“Of course. An Argent can’t pass up a chance to fight werewolves, can she?” She says bitterly. She swallows thickly, shaking her head. “Excuse me.” She mutters. She leaves the room, retreating back to her own.

Scott finds it odd that he doesn’t even have to urge to run after her and help her. He hasn’t felt anything towards her in a long time and he’s not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing yet.

“Well if that’s all you have to say...” Chris trails. Derek nods his head, backing away from the kitchen island. Scott and Isaac lead the way out, Stiles and Derek not too far behind.

Just as they’re exiting the door Derek turns to face Chris again. “Make sure those hunter friends of yours know which wolves they’re fighting against.”

Chris stares at the Alpha in front of him before nodding curtly. Derek takes that as enough and leaves with the rest of the boys.

No one talks on the drive back to Scott’s house where Stiles drops off not just Scott but Isaac as well. Derek doesn’t speak to Stiles, not until they’re back in his room alone.

Derek sighs. “Alright, let it out.”

“I’m not staying here. If you think that I’ll just sit on the sidelines while you fight you’re nuts.”

“Stiles-”

“No, don’t Stiles me.” He says, shaking his head at the man. Derek’s still standing by his door from which he first entered. “You don’t get to tell me to sit this one out. They kidnapped me, Derek. They abducted me and they fucking _tortured_ me. I promise you I’ll sit the rest out but not this one.”

“So that’s what this is for you? Revenge?” Derek asks carefully. He can feel the anger, the agitation rolling off Stiles in waves. It gets worse at Derek’s mention of the word revenge.

“They have Boyd and Erica, they ruined Andrea’s life. This isn’t just about me.”

“You aren’t strong enough.”

“I was strong enough to last more than a week with them! I was strong enough to hold your dead weight up in a pool for two hours! I think I’m doing pretty good for a human.”

“But you shouldn’t have to be!” Derek yells. “You are human.” He punctuates. “You and Lydia. Both of you need to stay the fuck out of this because I’m not losing you again!”

Stiles face changes and the anger inside him dies out. He steps towards where Derek is until they’re face to face.

“You won’t lose me.” He says quietly.

“You can’t promise me that.”

“And you can’t promise me that you won’t die if I don’t come.”

Derek looks down at the ground, not willing to look back up at this person he’s coming to care too much for. It’s terrifying. He hasn’t felt love in years, not since Kate. And this is nothing in comparison, it’s so much more.

“I can’t promise you anything and neither can you. But I am asking you, please, just- just stay with your father. It would make it easier to know that you were safe.”

Stiles leans forward and kisses him, cupping his cheeks inbetween just to have something to hold onto. He pulls back, kissing the corner of his mouth once more.

“Okay.”

Derek swallows. “Okay?”

“If it really means that much to you, for me to stay with my dad, I will. It’s probably better for him anyway, having me close and all.”

A slow smile creeps across Derek’s face in relief. “Easier for him, obviously.”

“Totally.” Stiles agrees. He leans in to kiss him again, enjoying the softness of Derek’s lips and the feel of Derek’s hands resting on his hips. He wishes he could freeze this moment right here. Freeze it with the feel of Derek’s soft smile against his own, the thread of his fingers in Derek’s jacket and the quiet breaths that echo throughout his empty room.

“When’s your dad get home?” Derek asks, pulling away.

Stiles raised an eyebrow. “Planning on using that time efficiently Mr. Hale?”

“Planning on getting you back home before he does.”

Stiles frowns. “So we aren’t having sex?”

This causes Derek to laugh. “No, we’re going on a date. A proper, honest to God, date. Is that alright with you?”

The teen smiles again, nodding. “Yeah. Yeah I’d like that.”

Derek kisses him quickly. “Good, come on.” He tugs Stiles off the door to open it and then pulls him through. They go back out front to Stiles’ jeep but Derek gets in the driver’s seat. Stiles fights to keep his mouth shut and bites back words about ‘Not getting a scratch on his baby’.

Derek takes them outside Beacon Hills, and Stiles breathes out an unconscious breath. He feels safer, now that he’s not in the town holding so much danger and promise for destruction. He wonders what Beacon Hills looks like to an outsider, he wonders how he would see it if he was never involved.

Derek stops in front of a little restaurant that probably only holds about three tables. They get out of the car and Derek leads them inside, eyeing the elderly server when she smiles brightly at Derek and reaching out to hug him.

“My have you grown. So much like your father.” She says. She touches his cheek and smiles through her wrinkles before escorting them to a table. She sets down the menus, smiling at the two of them before leaving.

Stiles opens his mouth but Derek cuts him off. “My parents met here when they were 20. They liked to come back a lot.” He explains.

Stiles feels his heart warm, knowing how special this must be to Derek and how much it means that he brought Stiles here.

“Have you been back since-?” He trails.

Derek shakes his head. “No, but places like these never change.”

Stiles smiles softly at him, reaching across the small table to grab his hand before bringing it to his lips to kiss it lightly. Derek meets his eyes and smiles. Stiles lets their hands fall but doesn’t let go.

Their waitress comes back, Betty or so her name tag says, and takes their orders. Stiles hadn’t even looked at the menu so he looked at Derek who ordered him some kind of pasta with some kind of sauce.

“My dad arrested my mother.” Stiles blurts out once Betty leaves. Derek raises an eyebrow. “That’s how they met, I mean. He was just starting off as a cop and she was passing through Beacon Hills with a speed over 80 mph. My dad pulled her over.” Stiles smiles to himself and shakes his head thinking of all the times his mother had told him that story when he was little.

_“And I kept telling him I had to get to my father’s second wedding, and he kept telling me that my license was expired and he needed to bring me to the station.” His mother would roll her eyes every time._

_“And I’d take you to the station and about an hour later your father bursts through the door in a tuxedo with a bride in tow yelling for the idiot cop that was making everyone late to his wedding.” His father would chime in._

_“And you got into an argument with my father-”_

_“Stupid decision.”_

_“And eventually I’d tell you all to get your heads out of your asses and I swear to God John that’s the moment I saw you fall in love with me.” She’d point at him and his father would roll his eyes._

_“And then the Sheriff came in, said everyone was off the hook if they just stopped yelling in his office and you invited me to your father’s wedding.”_

_His mother always blushed at this part. “And you drove to your place to get the only suit you wore and that’s the moment I knew I was done.”_

_“The suit?”_

_“Always the suit, John.”_

He could practically hear his mom’s voice in his head, see himself watching them go back and forth trading off more details than the time before he heard the story. Stiles had loved that story. It was always his favorite.

“It seems your mother must’ve rubbed off on you.” Derek says.

Stiles chuckles. “She would’ve liked you. And Isaac, Jackson, Lydia, Allison, even Peter. She always saw the good in people.”

“So did my aunt, Peter’s wife. She was a riot, never a time where she didn’t have something to say.” Derek smiles.

Their food comes then, halting the conversation for a few minutes. Stiles moans into his.

“Derek this is fantastic, really, I mean, oh my god.” Stiles groans.

“It was my favorite when I was a kid.” Derek admits.

Stiles swallows the lump of food he was chewing on and stares at Derek as he cuts into his chicken. Everything Derek had been doing, the restaurant, the food, the stories, he was letting him into his life. And Stiles, who hasn’t talked about his mother to anyone like that in years managed to get through his most important memory of her without crying or having a panic attack.

He doesn’t know what this means, but he really, really likes it.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is mostly a flashback type chapter/intro. The 'story' starts in the next chapter :)


End file.
